Interim management is now firmly embedded in the business world, with organisations across all sectors seeking to take advantage of a highly flexible, accountable resource. But are you and your firm finding the right people, and getting the most out of the interim managers they do hire?

Author: Raj C. Tulsiani, chief executive officer, Green Park Interim & Executive Resourcing

Topic: Interim management

OVERVIEW

The rise of interim management as a strategic resource has been so rapid that industry best practice is hard to find. These simple guidelines should help you to avoid the most common pitfalls hiring organisations face in finding the right interim, and also in finding and managing the consultancy that sources the interim.

WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE

• When you are considering hiring an interim manager.

• When you are considering engaging an interim resourcing partner.

• When you are facing organisational change, growth, or instability.

• When you have a specific skills or knowledge gap within your management team.

• When you are looking to optimise the value you get out of the interim manager that you have hired.

• When a senior manager needs advice on senior management skill sets they want to benchmark.

10-STEP ACTION PLAN
 
1. Carefully outline the need.

What are the key business challenges that the interim will face? What will they be expected to achieve, and how long do they have to achieve it? What resources do they have at their disposal and what stakeholder constraints will they face? Getting a clear idea of the challenge is the first step to finding the right person to address it.

2. Find an interim resourcing partner you trust – even if you only want them to benchmark against a direct hire you are planning to make.

Look for a firm that can talk you through delivery of similar roles – beware of firms that seem to be offshoots of larger organisations that specialise in something else. The best interim managers don’t generally align themselves with that type of supplier.

3. Give your chosen consultant a comprehensive brief on the position, ideally face-to-face.

Make sure they understand the business challenge, but also make sure they understand the stakeholder environment, and the culture of the organisation – those factors are absolutely pivotal in finding the right sort of interim. Remember: you aren’t recruiting a temp, you’re recruiting an interim – the better the brief you can give, the more likely you are to achieve a good result. It’s a two way process.

4. Demand precision.

You probably don’t have time to review 20 CVs, as you might with a permanent role. You need to be introduced to four or five people who are well suited to the role. Make sure your resourcing partner has assessed every candidate and interviewed him or her in person they present. You are paying them to deliver you the right people.

5. Engage key stakeholders in the decision process.

This can be difficult on short deadlines, but it’s important to ensure your interim is the right fit for the role.

6. Once you’ve selected the best candidate make sure you move fast enough to secure them.

Good interims don’t stay on the market long and a good candidate experience in pivotal in ensuring you secure a fair candidate rate.

7. Agree assignment KPI’s

Skilful interim managers are willing to commit to what they are going to achieve. Defining what good looks like also helps them focus on what’s important. Make sure they understand the skills gaps in your team and are clear about the areas in which they need to transfer their knowledge.

8. Make sure your resourcing partner is capable of performance managing your interim throughout the assignment.

They should be able to help you make sure that the assignment stays on track, to deadline and budget.

9. Working with your resourcing partner and the interim, develop an exit strategy for the end of the assignment.

What do you need to achieve to finish the assignment, and what needs to be left in place in terms of process, policy and knowledge?

EXPECTED OUTCOMES | RESULTS 

A successful interim assignment should meet all of the agreed KPI’s, and, where relevant, transfer critical skills and knowledge to your incumbent team.

ABOUT GREEN PARK

Green Park is one of the UK’s fastest growing suppliers of elite interim management and executive resourcing solutions. We help our clients respond swiftly and effectively to their commercial, people and organisational challenges. Our specialist advice complements our network of highly experienced senior executives.

Clients come to Green Park when they need elite senior talent to strengthen their leadership teams. They stay with us because we consistently drive a greater return on investment from the executives we place and because we form open, collaborative relationships that are based on trust, respect, and delivering demonstrable results.


FOR MORE INFORMATION

Raj Tulsiani
T: 0207 399 4300
E: raj.tulsiani@green-park.co.uk
www.green-park.co.uk

ADDRESS

Green Park Interim & Executive Resourcing
38 Dover St
London
W1S 4NL