We’re living in uncertain times. Events such as those at News International can send shockwaves through organisations, and people at the top may suddenly leave - resulting in unexpected gaps in leadership, experience and expertise.  

If you need to cover an unexpected gap in your executive team, interim managers can provide an effective solution. These are independent senior executives hired to address challenges arising from change, from leading strategic projects to taking on a leadership position for a given time period.

How can you get the most from an interim manager? Jason Atkinson, chair of the Interim Management Association, provides some essential tips for businesses:

1. Know when you need external resource
Check if you really need an interim manager and that the skills and knowledge you require doesn’t already exist within your organisation. Interim managers offer a compelling and specialist resource that companies may not have access to in their existing talent pool.  

2. Have an ideal candidate in mind
What do you need the interim manager to do? Who is your ideal candidate and what core competencies/essential qualities must they possess? Do you need sector or product knowledge or fresh thinking and a new approach that comes from vertical markets? Consider all these elements to ensure you pick the right person for the job.

3. Choose an interim provider carefully
Always use a reputable an interim provider. Do they have the ability to find interims with the right balance of management skills, technical know-how and market knowledge? Look for professional accreditation, are they a member of the Interim Management Association, and do they hold Investors in People and have an extensive database of world-class candidates?

4. Don’t spend ages deciding who to appoint
The best interims can get snapped up quickly, so you need to respond to good ones as soon as you've made your choice.

5. Remember: Interims have no ties
Interims don’t have emotional attachments to companies like some permanent employees, who sometimes struggle to deliver bad news or are reluctant to talk about the changes needed. Interims can speak openly to clients - they tell it like it is...

6. Work together
Agree the aims, deliverables and timescales of the assignment at the outset so that both parties know what objectives they are working to. It's vital to keep reviewing these as the assignment is progressing to get the most out of the placement.

7. Make the first days really count
Once a contract is signed, an interim manager has five working days to understand the role and client requirements, the work involved and the deliverables. Ensure that they understand your needs from the start. Where assignments don’t work as well as expected the problem can often be traced back to those first days.

8. Clarify the role of the interim to permanent staff
Interim managers are taken on for a defined period of time and they rarely want a permanent position. The additional skills and expertise that they bring is a positive management decision and should be welcomed as such. They leave behind a lasting legacy and transfer skills to permanent employees, which will benefit the company in the long term.  

9. Don’t make pay comparisons to permanent staff
It’s misleading to take an interim daily rate and multiply it to compare to a permanent annual salary. The two are not comparable. An interim manager is chargeable on an inclusive rate – that means no hidden cost around pay benefits/NI, pensions or holidays.

10. Interim Managers aren’t just for blue chips
SMEs can lack skills in certain disciplines but may not be able to justify employing someone full time. Interim management opens up opportunities to engage highly experienced people on a part-time basis in a cost-effective way.

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