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Interim management represents big business in the UK and elsewhere. What’s more, statistics suggest that this segment of the employment market consists largely of business veterans. More specifically, the average age of an interim manager in the UK is a little over 52 years old. This implies that these individuals bring a wealth of experience to their individual roles.
However, successful interim managers need to boast a number of positive and specific traits in addition to their chronological age. For example, they need to bring professional maturity as well as a fundamental dearth of status and ego.
Recruiters often look for individuals who have experience in different markets and industries. In addition, they look to these less tangible attributes to identify interim managers with the most potential.
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What Are the Characteristics of a Great Interim Manager?
In this article, we consider some of the key characteristics that define effective interim managers. Meanwhile, we also ask how individuals can hit the ground running in their brand new leadership roles.
1. Adaptability Helps Managers to Settle in Quickly
As a general rule, the demand for interim managers rises during periods of business turbulence and transition.
This means that interim managers rarely start out in a fully settled and cohesive workplace. Therefore, there’s a pressing need for them to be incredibly adaptable if they’re to settle in quickly.
This trait applies to both the nature of the role and the individual personalities they need to manage. In fact, this latter point is particularly important in instances where employee morale is low and the future of staff members remains uncertain.
Make no mistake. The quicker you can adapt to your new surroundings and address the concerns of your team, the easier it will be for you to achieve your business goals as an interim manager.
2. Nurturing Managers Are Best for Developing Others
When combing the job market for managers, one of the first things that an interim recruiter looks for is an individual with the capacity to nurture others.
The reason for this simple. Interim managers often enter exceptionally difficult situations. In these instances, employees may be suffering from a lack of leadership and struggling to focus on their job roles.
It’s almost impossible for staff members to focus on their personal development in these situations. However, a nurturing and empathetic interim manager is capable of redressing this imbalance. In fact, the right individual will focus on empowering employees to realize their full potential.
This boosts the value and individual profitability of each employee. And it also contributes to a more effective workforce over time.
3. Strategically Minded Managers Identify Problems and Provide Resolutions
If we accept the fact that interim managers are often parachuted into difficult situations, then it stands to reason that a strategic mindset may be worth its weight in gold.
After all, such a mindset will enable any interim manager to identify the key issues that are plaguing a specific team, department, or workplace. Additionally, such individuals will be inclined to provide actionable solutions that incrementally improve business productivity.
In fact, a strategic and critical mindset underpins every successful interim manager. This is particularly true when the individual also possesses excellent communication skills and an approachable manner.
What Kind of Interim Manager Will You Be?
In short, a great interim manager is someone who can be trusted to resolve key business issues, including conflicts that exist between different teams and employees.