Whether required for transformation or turnaround scenarios, crisis management or strategic development, the skill set of interim managers is always highly prized. Typically working on project assignments, these senior level hires bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to organisations, enabling them to achieve business objectives within a predefined timeframe.

With a respected track record of success within their specialist sector, interims will have delivered similar results from a number of organisations, so companies can be confident in the skills they’re buying. Furthermore, they are able to apply their past learnings to each new project, which coupled with their ‘fresh’ perspective, means that they are able to unleash their creativity and improve on processes that need to be revamped.   

Although these professionals command top daily market pro rata rates, reflecting their status and expertise, organisations can hire them for the time period needed, which could be weeks or months at a time. It all depends on the particular need. Furthermore, these individuals aren’t considered as part of a company’s headcount, which makes them even more attractive, especially during periods of restructure.  

Agile adaptors

Why interim managers are in such demand is a testament to their knowledge and the quality of their work. Consummate professionals, it is in their interest to provide the very best service possible as their future pipeline of work depends on it. Specialist recruiters will want to see evidence of their achievements, and without positive client feedback and referrals, it will be increasingly difficult to place them and find them regular work.

They value they bring manifests itself in many different ways. One of those is in their mentoring of existing permanent staff members. As the project ‘leader’, interims will typically be guiding teams and delegating to other employees, who in turn are picking up and learning from these more experienced professionals. Even after the interim has completed their work, the handover and transfer of skills and knowledge will reside in the organisation, so their legacy will continue for a long time after they’ve departed.

From an organisational perspective, hiring an interim means sourcing a specialist who has niche skills that they often lack. Furthermore, the hiring process can be much faster and you can have them on board quickly to help respond to fluctuating market demands. They are a very agile resource and don’t need the level of support and training that permanent hires would receive.  

If you’re looking for high impact team players who can hit the ground running, hiring an interim manager makes a lot of sense.

You can learn more about Morgan Philips Interim Management services here.