On Thursday August 31st we held our annual boat trip on Oslo Fjord for clients, interim managers and partners. The weather gods were less than obliging for the first part of the trip, but all the other ingredients for a great night on the fjord were in place!
It has become an annual tradition to invite our in-post interim managers and selected customers and partners to a pleasant gathering at sea. This is an important opportunity for us at Interimleder to thank our key supporters for their efforts and cooperation. Also, the boat trip is a fantastic setting for getting to know each other better.
A rainy start didn’t put a damper on things
This year's boat trip was held on the last day of August. We had of course hoped for sunshine and late summer warmth, but got the weather "typical” of the summer - that is, temperatures slightly below-average and shifting cloud cover. Some things cannot be control, no matter how well we plan!
M/S Fjordclipper set sail from the opera quay in the pouring rain at five, but even with the rain beating against the side windows we were warm and comfortable on the deck. As always, the fantastic hosts from Kusto AS provided an outstanding package with delicious prawns and side dishes that made the trip on the fjord perfect. Our guests bought with them the good mood and the atmosphere, from cast off to mooring, was fun and relaxing.
Gratifying figures in a cheerful talk from the CEO
The CEO of Interimleder, Vegard Roth, welcomed everyone on board and took the opportunity to summarise the current picture of the company. It is a pleasant picture of a company undergoing exceptional growth. The demand for skilled and experienced interim managers has simply "taken off". In 2016 Interimleder AS had a turnover of NOK 23.5 million. The turnover figure for 2017 is likely to be twice that!
- Those who are here tonight reflect in several ways our growth and success at Interimleder AS, Vegard Rooth told an attentive audience - You are new interim managers and "old" interim managers, new customers and "old" customers. This is also what our assignments look like!
A large proportion of the increasing number of assignments come to us online. Interimleder has for several years been working systematically and purposefully on its website, blog and digital marketing, in order to gain visibility and to make interim management, as a discipline, better known. Now, it appears we are reaping the fruits of this hard work.
Satisfied customers
- Repeat business is however the main reason for why we are getting so many assignments, emphasised Vegard Rooth. - More than 40% of our assignments are from clients who come back! We would never have received these assignments if it was not for the wonderful job that you - our interim managers - do, said the grateful CEO.
With a customer satisfaction that is on average over 5 (out of 6 possible) for the overall process surrounding an assignment, it seems clear that the perception customers have of quality is consistently good in all stages of the delivery.
According to Vegard Rooth it is those who are competent who have luck. Ingmar Stenmark said it this way: "The more I train, the more luck I get!". For Interimleder there is a lot of truth in this!
When the boss suddenly disappears
The hours spent in the beautiful archipelago setting on board the M/S Fjordclipper went fast. The weather gods gave up their futile attempts to put a damper on the mood, and for the last part of the trip we cruised in silky soft darkness past a beautifully lit capital city.
Somewhere on the voyage the CEO Vegard Rooth jumped ashore to meet his ride to the next event in another part of the country. But as always, in good interim management, qualified and experienced people were ready to take over the helm in the boss's absence, and it is not even certain that all the guests noticed the disappearing act. The pleasant tone on board was not in any way affected, and it remained excellent all the way back to the quay (and maybe even later into the evening for some?).
Thank you so much to all of you who participated in a brilliant evening. We are looking forward to sending out the invitations to next year's trip!
