Prepare the ground before and after
THE BRIEF
- What are your key objectives
for this appointment?
- What are the success
factors going to be?
- What skillsets do you
require?
- What timescale are you
working to?
- What's the budget?
- Who are the key people?
- What authority will
the interim manager have?
- Point out anything yet
to be resolved, what to watch out for, team members with difficulties and
any management problems.
COMMUNICATE
- How will you announce
to staff and / or clients the interim's terms of reference, lines of responsibility
and generally ensure their start is professional?
- Spell out that 'you
can talk to them about this, this and this', they have power to do this that
and the other. And that the management is behind them.
- Have you explained the
state of play to the interim, being clear whether you're leaving them a well-run
system or a disaster area? If the latter, how are you going to manage the
survivors in that department, are you leaving that to the interim?
- Is there a hidden agenda
on the company side, for example, are you just getting someone in while you
decide whether to shut down a division / department? Do you communicate this
to the interim?
- How will you ensure
regular communication between interim and HR / management?
SETTLE THEM IN
- Can you give the interim
an induction to understand the company better?
- Do they have an office,
desk, phone, computer, email?
- Who will they report
to at an introductory meeting?
- Are you going to send
them on any training courses?
LEARN FROM THEM
- Will the interim manager
work as a mentor to anyone?
- Is there anyone in the
team who will shadow their work to gain from their experience?
- Should the interim manager
join management team meetings / development / training days?
- When they leave, if
not before, get their thoughts as an experienced outsider: what do they think
of your organisation and how could it be improved?
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