How do you know the right time to hire an interim leader?
- A manager or director has been on leave for a long time. What happens when an important manager has to take a long-term leave? It’s not necessary to hire a permanent replacement, but an interim manager can be a leader capable of guiding the team while they are away.
- Your permanent headcount is full, but you need help during a busy time. While leaner teams are cheaper, if managers are overloaded, they will find it difficult to manage their staff and deliver on-time, high-quality work. A temporary interim manager who provides additional management support can relieve some of the pressure during busy seasons. For Interim Managers, visit https://iim.org.uk/
- You’re growing, quickly. It’s important to be able to scale quickly for growth. Your current team will need support, whether you are bringing on new clients, adding new capabilities or opening new offices. An interim manager can help keep your clients happy while you reimagine the roles of your team. They can quickly get a team or a new office up and running to maximise the opportunities. The interim manager can leave without awkwardness once the workload is balanced or permanent teams have been established.
- You lack experience in a new software platform. Technology moves fast. It won’t be possible to get the entire team up-to-speed overnight, whether it is a new CMS or a project management software. Employees still require support to adapt to the new technologies, even if an external vendor is handling the digital transformation. A manager who has experience with this technology can streamline the implementation process.