Whatever the reason, interim managers offer major benefits:

• Speed – they are available to start in days – with the minimum of recruitment or termination formalities
• Experience – interim managers are overqualified for the work
• Results – they are only as good as their last placement – so track record and performance really count. They are used to being judged by results so they know how to deliver
• Knowledge transfer – they will transfer a huge amount of skill, contacts and experience to your team which will remain long after they have left
• Objectivity – while sensitive to the company’s ethos, they will not be constrained by company politics, personalities or protocols
• Focused – they can be assigned a critical task and their performance measured against it
• Delivery – yes they can act as counsel to the Board – but then they will roll up their sleeves and deliver the strategy too

Here’s what some of our clients have said:

“Probably not a low-cost option but excellent results and better value than a management consultant.”
“This was our first experience of an interim manager. He was worth his weight in gold.”
“We will certainly use interim management again in the future”

And here are some typical comments issued by our interim-managers:

“I did enjoy the challenge of each new project and the variety of work.”
“Achieving results quickly, for a customer in difficult situations, gives great satisfaction.”
“I do continue to learn from each new project.”
“I know I have to deliver results. I’m only as good as my last project.”

Interim Manager or a Consultant?

Many executives who initially think they need a management consultant ultimately decide to deploy an interim manager. In fact, a recent survey of 100 senior directors in European companies showed that 78% felt that interim managers offered clear advantages over management consultants.

Like consultants, interim managers provide:

• The latest thinking
• Short-term access to top management talent
• Strategic capability
• An independent eye
• The ability to fast-track a critical project

Unlike consultants, interim managers are:

• Implementers as well as being strategists, analysts and planners
• Loyal to your business objectives – not their consultancy’s objectives
• Flexible to do what you need – not restricted to doing things the way their consultancy prescribes
• Focused on your profitability – not their consultancy’s profitability. They are not incentivised to sell in additional services you don’t need
• More cost-effective

Fast Workers

Speed of delivery is another consideration. Unlike a permanent employee who can have several months of grace while they settle in, get to know their way around an organisation, meet people and so forth, interim managers are recruited with a clear set of deliverables and a fixed, often incredibly short time scale in which to deliver.
They know how to quickly fit in and get things moving.

They will not get sidetracked with office politics. They are implementers who know they will be judged on their ability to hit the ground running and deliver from day one. Depending the importance of the deliverables the value of this speed can be enormous.

Experience and Objectivity

You can add to the ROI formula the interim managers’ value as an impartial sounding board. Remember interims do not expect to have a long-term career with you, so they are not going to tell you what you want to hear – they will tell it how it is. Their candour could save you a fortune.

Also interim managers offer instant experience and a capability which is almost always one rank higher than the job requires.

Want to learn more about how cost-effective hiring an interim manager can be? Do not hesitate to contact us.