What to consider before placing an interim leader.
At times organisations find themselves in need of specific or urgent skills at senior levels within the business, and international trends indicate that the use of interim leadership is gaining momentum as a solution to these situations. Interim leaders can be brought in for a period of time to occupy an existing role can be formally filled, or it can be a temporary arrangement to test an individual’s abilities in a particular role before making the move permanent.
The challenge faced in using an interim leader in South African organisations is the introduction of new cultures to those that have already been established. This is further emphasised by the way in which different individuals view their career as this influences their productivity and interaction with other employees. Some individuals that have occupied these leadership roles may also face challenges in traditional career progression because of the interim nature of the positions they have occupied.
Some of the advantages of bringing in an individual for a pre-defined period or specific purpose includes almost immediate access to specific skills or experience, gaining an objective outsider perspective, and the ability to fix costs. An article providing tips to be a successful interim leader also highlighted the benefits of using interim leaders as change managers. This is because organisations typically have negative associations with change and often project those onto the leaders responsible. Using an interim leaders to implement these initiatives allows the organisation to experience the change that it requires without damaging the image of its leaders.
Leadership Development is an area that Mindcor is familiar with, providing a customized journey towards moulding leaders into organisational change drivers. For more information regarding our Leadership Development capabilities, visit our website or call us directly on 011 551 5500.