How to Ensure Your Interim Director Delivers
An interim director has the potential to be a hugely powerful addition to your team, but only if you equip them to succeed.
How to equip your Interim Director:
- Be very clear when briefing the interim management agency – so that you get the right interim director in place.
- Ensure the interim director understands your needs from the start.
- Agree with the interim director what you want them to do, the aims and timescales.
- Hold regular reviews during the assignment to ensure things are on track.
- Ensure your internal team understands what the interim director is going to be doing, and why.
- Explain it’s a temporary role, requiring a specific set of skills or experience. It’s someone they can benefit and learn from. This will help ensure staff don’t feel threatened and support the interim director.
- The interim director will have a wealth of experience and a valuable external perspective. They will also be above company politics and will not have a long-term career with your organisation to protect. These are valuable qualities – use them.
- Ensure the proper transfer of skills and knowledge from the interim director to your team at the end of the assignment.
- Don’t try to compare the pay of an interim director with that of permanent staff. The interim does not enjoy benefits such as pensions or holidays and does not have the job security you offer permanent personnel. The interim’s performance will be closely scrutinised and they will be expected to deliver from day 1.
- Don’t assume your company is too small to use an interim director. They can work for any size of organisation and may be suitable for an SME that cannot justify employing a full-time person but needs an injection of skills or experience in a certain area.
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