What should you look for in an interim executive?
When looking for an interim executive, look for operating experience – a “been there; done that,” capability. They should have previously been in the same role (CFO, CIO, etc.) as the executive being served so they will be able to offer an objective viewpoint on what resources will be needed to meet your goals. This level of experience should enable the flex leader to quickly see the “big picture” but execute at a highly detailed level. Industry experience is not as important as understanding the stress points of the business and experience in managing changes necessary to achieve a great outcome.
Like a baseball “utility infielder” who can play a number of different positions, a “flex” leadership provider can take on an entire set of projects, managing inter-dependencies between them to efficiently deploy resources. The interim executive specifies what they need from your organization, making assumptions and inter-dependencies explicit. This makes it easier for them to achieve results with minimal demands on management’s time. This approach is an extension of the Program Management Organization concept, a mechanism for overseeing IT projects that has become familiar in recent years.
Among today’s forward-looking organizations, the model of on-demand, high velocity, flexible management capacity is an ever more popular option. These early adopters have achieved some impressive successes with this approach. “Fast follower” companies are starting to emulate them. This new model may well become the next “big idea” for results-oriented companies seeking to minimize fixed costs and maximize flexibility in an increasingly complex business environment.
Perhaps the lawyers are smarter than the rest of us
Flexible leadership is not a new idea in one key area of corporate life: legal. Legal is often one of the smallest departments in an organization because they don’t add internal staff to handle specialties like intellectual property and litigation. The person who manages daily operations also manages the specialist who goes to court. This is more effective management than assuming the role of Superman and personally tackling every area of law, no matter how time-consuming or technically demanding.