How to get the most out of an Interim Manager and Interim Management services
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?