Are you considering hiring an interim manager? Here you can find 10 tips for moving ahead with the process.
- Conduct a thorough needs assessment before deciding to search for an interim manager. Do the qualifications you are looking for already exist within the organisation?
- Always have a clear idea of what the ideal candidate should be like and ensure that all relevant decision-makers in the organisations understand and are on board with the decision to hire an interim manager.
- Use a renowned interim management supplier with the appropriate experience and expertise to quickly find managers with the correct balance of great management skills, specialist expertise and industry experience.
- Do not take too long to make decisions. The best interim managers could quickly be removed from their position and assigned to other tasks.
- Consider the tasks to be performed by the interim manager. Remember that interim managers are often more capable of highlighting and handling change issues for a client in a more efficient and direct way as they do not have any historic or emotional link to the company.
- Establish clear authorities, directions and time estimates for the interim manager at the commencement of the hire period so that both parties have a shared understanding of which decisions the interim manager can make, which tasks must be performed and when results are expected.
- Ensure that the interim manager understands your needs when starting. An interim manager should not normally require long to understand their role and assignment and thus become fully operational.
- Clarify the role of the interim manager to the permanent staff. This is to ensure that they understand that it is for a limited period of time and so that the interim manager's knowledge can be positively transferred to the permanent staff during the course of the assignment.
- It would be misleading to compare the interim manager's fees to salaries for permanent employees. The interim manager's fees include employer taxes, holiday pay, pensions and other social expenses. There are also no recruitment costs.
- Interim managers can carry out work for companies of any size. SME companies may for example benefit from the efforts and knowledge of an interim manager in areas that normally do not justify a full-time permanent position. It is also possible to hire part-time interim managers.
Contact us for a no-obligation chat about interim management in your company.
