When you start an interim assignment, you need to make a quick assessment of what is going on at the firm. That should take about a week. You may not get a complete picture in that time, and you may have to ask some fairly direct questions of key people to understand what the issues are. Then you need to determine your key priorities, and make sure they fit in with the organisations business objectives.
Decide on some quick wins. That helps break down a lot of barriers. If you can sort something out that everyone knows isnt working, you gain immediate credibility. Then you can devise a plan of action for the longer-term goals you want to achieve in your time at the firm.
One advantage in coming fresh to a situation is that you can ask the awkward questions other people wont.
David Slee (assignments in financial services, retailing, construction and pharmaceutical industries)
My first interim post was nine years ago. Ive had two types of role either coming in as a head of HR, or as a specialist in a specific role such as compensation and benefits. In one job, where I had a disagreement with a senior manager about a merger, I was finally told, Ok, you do it. I became the implementation manager as well.
You may have to adapt to change very fast. I finished one post in a UK construction company and then went to a Swiss pharmaceuticals group. They could not have been more different. You need flexibility to cope with that.
You are in a powerful position coming in as an experienced interim. You may well be more senior than the person in that role would normally be. You can get things done in a way that others would not. But you may also inherit a difficult situation. In one firm I was the fourth HR director in five years.
I will consider any role as long as there is something in it for me too development, stretching me in some way. I am currently implementing a SAP payroll and information programme, not something I have done before.
Vic March, Vic March & Associates (assignments in manufacturing, financial services, professional and public services)
I have been taking on interim posts for around 10 years now. There are two distinct types of role: filling a gap, coming in as a generalist, for example, when somebodys on maternity leave; or acting as a specialist interim consultant to deliver a project. Either way, you may not be in the organisation on a daily basis, and it therefore can be hard to get to grips with the cultural issues of the organisation.
The key to making an interim assignment work is the how, and not so much the what. That means bringing experience to bear in ensuring the seamless delivery of a professional service to the client. If the company hasnt used an interim before, it may have very particular expectations of what you can do. The potential for an interim HR manager to disturb a business is alarming.
At the very outset you need to assess the scope of the role. Have a mini-appraisal of both the how and the what of the task. And how are you going to measure what you have done during the assignment? You have to be highly adaptive and versatile to make this work. Gaining client confidence early on and fulfilling its expectations, is key.
