What is an Interim Manager & Does My Business Need one?

Good management is critical to success in any business. Management is important for steering the ship in the right direction, leading the team, managing issues that arise and creating the right kind of culture. There can be certain situations that arise where your business might need an interim manager as someone that comes in for a temporary period to provide their management expertise and lift the business.

What is an Interim Manager?

So, what exactly is an interim manager? Essentially, this is a temporary manager that usually comes in to oversee a transitionary period for a business. Typically, this will be when they need to fill a position on a short-term basis until a permanent replacement is found or if they need a manager with a particular skill set or level of knowledge that is currently lacking for the current state of the business.

What are the Benefits?

There are many benefits to hiring an interim manager and they can often be used to help a business achieve higher levels of success. Obviously, one of the main benefits is that this is a temporary appointment and therefore you are not committing to a permanent member of staff and paying a full-time salary. In addition to this, interim managers work to complete all KPIs and have a reputation to succeed – they thrive on coming in, completing their work and leaving. They can also lighten the load for existing managers and cover any skills or knowledge gap that is required at that moment.

Do I Need One?

It is not always easy to tell when you need an interim manager. The most common situation when you need an interim manager is when you have a vacancy to fill but are struggling to fill it. This might be because a staff member suddenly leaves and/or you have not found someone suitable for a long term replacement. In addition to this, an interim manager is a good solution during periods of growth when they can come in to provide their expertise and bridge any skills gap that you have.

Interim managers are often used for one particular project or they might be brought in to manage a crisis, merger or business transformation. Although they are only temporary staff, they will often be tasked with playing a major role in the business, so you need to make sure that you are hiring the right person for the job by using interim management services.

Interim managers can be the perfect solution for businesses in a number of situations whether they are looking to quickly fill a role or to oversee a period of change in the business. Every business needs strong managers leading the way and, sometimes, this will call for someone coming in on a temporary basis to offer their expertise and experience.

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Dan Dunn

Executive Managing editor

Editor and Admin at MarkMeets since Nov 2012. Columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer and oversees all of the section's news, features and interviews. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines.

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