The Interim Manager, also known as an external director, is a professional with extensive experience in business management and problem-solving. His main objective is to provide support to companies that are growing or expanding. What has led this figure, which emerged in the 1970s, to become so popular nowadays?
What is an Interim Manager and what is his role?
The external director, as a highly experienced professional, is hired by a company to perform certain tasks, but only for a specified period. For example, he may take on the role of marketing director to:
- optimize operations,
- resolve issues,
- make decisions,
- regarding the implementation of a new system.
In other words, the function of this professional is to solve a specific need through his experience, flexibility, objectivity, and efficiency.
Outsourcing certain aspects is highly beneficial for companies as it streamlines processes, reduces costs by not being part of the regular staff, and optimizes the work of teams since they have more time for other functions.
The external director as a key factor in the current context
In situations of crisis or uncertainty that companies sometimes face, the figure of the Interim Manager can be crucial for making short-term decisions. Significantly that allow them to adapt as best as possible to these circumstances. Creating tailored solutions in increasingly changing environments is undoubtedly an essential value for organizations.
How does it differ from a consultant or coach?
You may be thinking that the Interim Manager has similar functions to a coach or consultant. However, while both are oriented towards achieving certain objectives for the company they are hired by, there are notable differences between them:
- Business consultants or coaches, focus on guiding departments or employees in optimizing their performance. To do so, they must first conduct a study to identify weaknesses and barriers. Therefore, the coach’s function primarily revolves around improving the performance of workers.
- The coach’s focus is more on the process itself and not so much on finding solutions, as is the case with the external director.
- The coach is a professional, but not as senior as the external director, who has more years of experience.
- On the other hand, the consultant aims to foster good and productive work relationships. In addition to reinforcing the culture of counselling and training.
- The Interim Manager is hired for short periods of time, until the problem is resolved. While a consultant can work with the company for longer, even years.
To conclude, the experience and management capabilities of an Interim Manager will be highly valuable in decision-making, just as having an expert team in handling hardware imports for furniture and construction from China can be for companies like yours. Contact us today, and we will provide you with all the details!
