The essential qualities that make an effective and successful interim executive.

The profile of the professional interim is still a mystery to many. Interim executives are frequently asked why they take on such an uncertain way of life and why they have chosen this route at a time when others choose to relax, having fulfilled their career ambitions and achieved financial security.

It is almost a calling – interims are hungry for the challenge of changing the state of things and know they can do it because they have successfully done so on many occasions. They may be called consultants – but they are not, nor are they ‘temps’ just filling a gap.

Having reached a point in their business career where circumstances allow them the choice of going independent, these men and women, who have typically reached senior management level, strike out on their own – and this is the first clue as to their suitability for a very demanding way of life.

A seasoned interim finance director points out that the role can seem glamorous to some. As a fluent Spanish speaker he has undertaken several assignments in Spain and Portugal over the past seven years as an interim, but he warns that the work is tough and that it takes a measured approach to deal with the continual uncertainty as each job ends. On average in those seven years he has worked about eight months each year with four months off.

He had been part of a management buy-out in 1993, with equity in the business that was later sold “not at a great profit but enough to set me up so that I could start doing other things.” He stresses that anyone contemplating interim management should ensure that they have a reserve of capital to tide them over lean times between assignments.

“The implementation of changes you recommend is often the most difficult part,” he says. “But one of the great advantages to the employer is that the interim will not get embroiled in company politics. They are not concerned about manoeuvring to look after their future career. Their only concern is getting the job done and adding value.”

Until they have undertaken their first assignment, potential interims have a burning need to prove to themselves that they have taken the right course. However, there are few to whom they can refer as senior-level professional interims. The true number of experienced interims in the UK runs at around 3000, with many more aspiring candidates waiting in the wings for their first opportunity. Substantial change and transition implementation experience and the personal attributes to make it happen are essential. Without strong interpersonal and communication skills, gravitas and team leadership capabilities, interims are unlikely to succeed, however strong their technical background might be.

The demonstration of these qualities is paramount, especially when an interim is parachuted into a crisis situation requiring a fast turnaround. Interim executives will have a track record of at least five to ten years at board level within companies with £20m to £2bn turnover. They will have held a senior general management position, for example chief executive, and/or have been a head of function – finance director, IT director, sales and marketing director, human resources director, manufacturing director, logistics director.

Many interims are also strong project or programme managers.

Their CVs will show that they have progressed on the basis of achievement within major change environments and not purely by political manoeuvring. Typically they might have gained hands-on experience within a mix of blue-chip and smaller organisations; they are less likely to have worked only for one organisation or to have moved a lot without evidence of solid achievement in their permanent career.

Typical change implementation experience would include turnarounds, restructurings, acquisition integration, mergers, heavily backed start-ups, downsizing and preparation for sale or closure. The involvement of an interim would have been hands-on, with a proven successful outcome and on a multiple basis in testing situations – both within the permanent career and ongoing interim assignments for those already launched. Personal attributes will indicate a high achiever – someone who is proactive, results-orientated, positive, prefers a hands-on approach and makes things happen. Someone who is politically sensitive without being drawn into the politics, understands the need to stay objective and will not go “native,” particularly on an extended assignment. Someone who can stick their neck out and say it how it is, using fine judgement.