Practical and groundbreaking: the dos and don’ts of interim management
Clients have high expectations when it comes to the behavior of interim managers and the service they provide – and rightly so. After all, the entire industry advertises the excellence of its interim managers, but what are the dos and don’ts that are expected?
The industry discussed this at DDIM.regional in Cologne. Our Managing Director Andreas Lau was invited as a panel discussant with esteemed entrepreneurs, interim managers and market companions on the topic of dos and don’ts in the collaboration between companies and interim managers. The contributions on the topics of “Dos and Don’ts” in the interim mandate were not only informative, but also groundbreaking for our practice.
This article addresses some of the key points of this debate and offers very practical tips and guidance to interested parties, clients and interim managers alike.
1. perspective of the client
A key factor is clear communication of the assignment and a willingness to interact as equals. It is crucial to clearly formulate expectations of the project and the interim manager and to keep communication open and transparent. This creates trust and enables effective collaboration.
It is a legitimate expectation of the client that an interim manager and their provider think and act in a service-oriented manner. After all, they are buying a service.
This also means that the client, and not the interim manager, defines the relationship between on-site work as the starting point for expectations versus remote work.
The client can also expect sensitivity: If the interim manager invites the client home for a three-hour dinner after a while, the client may not want to find the hours spent talking together in confidence (in full) on the invoice.
Dos and don’ts in interim mandates – client perspective
Dos
Don’ts
Formulate clear expectations
Define goals: Clearly define your expectations and goals to give the interim manager a clear direction.
Open communication
Regular updates: Maintain open and regular communication to ensure that the interim manager is always up to date.
Offer support
Provide resources: Provide the necessary resources and support to enable the interim manager to work effectively.
Integration into the team
Regular updates: Maintain open and regular communication to ensure that the interim manager is always up to date.
Unclear ideas
Avoid misunderstandings: Avoid ambiguities or contradictions to prevent misunderstandings and inefficiency.
Lack of integration
Avoid isolation: Do not isolate the interim manager from the rest of the team. Good integration promotes collaboration and success.
Excessive control
Allow freedom: Avoid micromanagement and give the interim manager the freedom to complete their tasks independently.
Lack of support
Provide resources: Don’t let the interim manager work without the necessary resources and support.
2. perspective provider
Clear role definitions, flexibility in working arrangements and structured documentation are key to effectively supporting interim managers and ensuring a smooth and successful mandate.
What’s crucial for providers
Providers play a central role in the success of the interim managers in the project, especially at the beginning, by creating the clearest possible picture of the project when clarifying the assignment. It starts with defining roles, expectations and competencies at the beginning of an assignment to ensure clarity and alignment. Of course, they also try to develop a picture of who fits the client in terms of people and chemistry.
Flexibility in the working agreements is just as important in order to meet the dynamic requirements.
Everything that is to be agreed must be well documented in the contract in order to prevent misunderstandings and create a clear framework for action.
The establishment of effective quality, project or shadow management enables the maintenance of high standards as well as timely feedback and active relationship management with the client and the interim manager.
What providers should avoid
Service providers should avoid excessive control and overly bureaucratic processes when handling mandates so as not to restrict managers’ scope of action too much and make processes unnecessarily complicated.
No specific schedules should be drawn up that resemble employment.
Similarly, overly complicated processes and over-regulation in compliance processes should be avoided in order to keep workflows clear and efficient.
This flexibility allows interim managers to focus more on achieving results rather than adhering to strict processes.
Dos and don’ts in interim mandates – Provider perspective
Dos
Don’ts
Ensure quality
Experienced managers: Ensure that the interim managers have the necessary experience and qualifications.
Transparent communication
Open channels: Keep communication channels open and transparent to avoid misunderstandings.
Offer support
Support: Provide ongoing support and resources for interim managers and clients.
Deploying unqualified managers
Minimize risk: Do not use managers who do not meet the client’s requirements.
Lack of support
Avoid isolation: Don’t leave interim managers and clients without necessary support.
Communication gaps
Avoid misunderstandings: Avoid communication gaps that can lead to misunderstandings.
3. perspective Interim Manager
Flexibility and proactive communication are crucial to the success of an interim manager. These skills enable rapid adaptation to changing environments and effective leadership through unforeseen challenges.
Interim managers are in the unique position of leading organizations through periods of transition, which requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. It is crucial to prepare for unexpected situations and make quick but informed decisions. This not only promotes acceptance within the team, but also enables necessary adjustments to be made to rapid changes in the business environment.
It is equally important to establish effective relationships with team members and clients. Using existing networks facilitates access to key decision-makers and can help to secure the mandate.
Clear communication about availability and commitments helps to avoid misunderstandings, while transparent communication and delegation of tasks strengthens the team.
An interim manager should always act as a role model, be thoroughly prepared and take even seemingly small tasks seriously in order to build trust and credibility.
Avoidable mistakes for interim managers
Interim managers should avoid sticking to rigid patterns and acting in isolation. These behaviors impair the effectiveness of their leadership and increase the potential for conflict and misunderstanding within the team.
Interim managers should not lose sight of flexibility, as this is essential for their role in changing environments. Rushing into decisions or proposing solutions without a full understanding of the situation can lead to mistakes.
An interim manager needs to be proactive and flexible in their approach to communication. These skills help to navigate unforeseen situations and a dynamic environment.
Interim Manager = Agile Project Manager
It is also important not to isolate yourself from the team, but to actively cultivate relationships. Lack of clarity in availability or roles and responsibilities can lead to conflict, while micromanagement can undermine team motivation.
Preferential treatment of individual team members or an arrogant attitude can damage trust and disrupt team dynamics.
An overly authoritarian management style should be avoided, as should imposing one’s own ideas too quickly without taking the team dynamics into account.
Dos and don’ts in interim mandates – Interim manager perspective
Dos
Don’ts
Show flexibility
Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt to different roles and tasks.
Make quick decisions
Sound decisions: Make decisions swiftly and confidently and communicate the reasons clearly.
Build relationships
Network: Maintain strong relationships with your team and clients.
Lack of flexibility
Rigid expectations: Don’t be rigid in your expectations and areas of responsibility.
Rash decisions
Rash actions: Don’t make decisions without understanding the full picture.
Isolation
Teamwork: Do not work in isolation, but integrate yourself into the team.
The intense atmosphere of discussion and debate at DDIM.regional in Cologne showed that the expectations of clients are high and that every interim manager must be sensitive to their service offering and behavior in the mandate.
The feedback on the dos and don’ts in the mandate in relation to our top topics illustrates how important clear communication, strategic flexibility and strong leadership qualities are in times of rapid change. These variables are important for clients, interim managers and providers to maximize project success. But certainly not the complete catalog of all dos and don’ts.
Feel free to join the discussion, we look forward to your additions!
You and we create added value for the use of interim management as a strategic personnel service instrument.
With kind regards
Your HANSE Interim Management
Andreas Lau
