Today, Cyril Moreau, our CEO, shares his experience as Interim Manager. This insightful view gives you interesting and useful tips on how to prepare for the client company’s expectations and interim assignments.
Not for the faint hearted:
For the past 20+ years I have been working as a Management Consultant and Interim Manager in the USA and other continents such as MEA, Asia and Europe. Therefore, it is a practitioner’s view of change management in interim management situations, typically in dire situations.
When you work as an Interim CEO you essentially end up working for companies that have had a problem or two, either their profits and liquidity went south – sometimes over years, sometimes quite rapidly – they have an obvious leadership problem or, in the best case scenario, a vacancy due to illness or accident that has to be filled immediately for a limited period of time.
With substantial experience in the health care sector and the pharmaceutical industry, I liken the company’s position to a patient sitting in a consultant’s hospital surgery, awaiting diagnosis and treatment. Of course the difference is that the company speaks with multiple voices and what’s more, most of those voices have their own hidden agenda. A patient usually has seen a GP before being referred to a doctor specialized for their illness. Therefore, sometimes there is already a diagnosis even if it is wrong. The company also has group of GPs, i.e. auditors, banks and sometimes a strategy consultant who needs a person implementing the strategy change by doing some surgeries. And, the quality of early diagnosis varies widely. Whatever metaphor you use to describe the situation, you need to be a quick adaptor and have a keen survival instinct.
Before the first day:
Preparation is paramount. Apart from gathering information about the situation, there are several issues that need to be clarified:
International Executive Consulting LLC guides the mid- to large sized organization in instituting best management and strategies to improve their growth and scale new heights of success in future.
The CEO is in charge of developing strategies for all of these to meet business objectives. Increasingly, companies are hiring top-tier interim executives to optimize business operations.
An immediate Effect:
Some CEOs operate on the premise that they should only use interim officers for limited purposes. The first impression is that interim officers only fill vacancies. The second is that they come when a company is in trouble. In addition, many CEOs believe that bringing in an interim executive is too expensive.
The reality about interim officers, however, is much different than imagined. They represent a field of accessible, talented professionals who can provide distinguished leadership and innovation at critical points of expansion and change.
Respond to Business Requirements:
Sometimes growth overtakes a company’s management infrastructure. This type of problem is easy to recognize, but it’s hard to know how to respond. Often, the company will try to support one manager, but the rate of change puts pressure on the entire chain of command. Other times, the company will hire a new executive and focus support efforts on a more long-term senior-level position. Meanwhile, stagnation in leadership could cause the company to lose out on innovation. Growth is good, but managed growth is better.
In such cases, an Interim Executive may be just the strategy a company needs. Simply said, an interim executive’s short-term investments can yield long-term dividends. Interim officers can quickly assess a company/division’s disfunction and hit the ground running with a specific objective or set of objectives.
Interim Officers Provide Intangible Benefits:
When one of the interim executives starts his new role, this is a chance to help changing the face of the company. This process requires much more than typical business functions, such as improving IT, expanding product production, or developing a manufacturing system. Changing public perception as a company grows requires objective thinking, creativity, and calculated risk-taking.
An Interim Executive can act as a liaison with outside vendors on a full-time basis, keeping employees informed of changes while also allowing them to fulfil existing orders. He/she can also provide an outsider’s perspective on operations that may be slowing rather than increasing the company’s efficiency and growth.
Interim Working Model Forward Thinking:
Ultimately, hiring an interim executive for specific needs around a company’s growth and development can be an excellent strategy for tangible and intangible benefits. Doing so allows teams to be focused around sales initiatives, and it can create a culture of innovation. Some estimates suggest that about half of the global workforce will be temporary or interim within the next decade. Additionally, about 80% of large corporations will increase their use of flexible staffing.
Thus, hiring an interim executive for a specific staffing need can certainly help a company’s bottom line. But this is not the limit of its benefits. These are priorities for the long-term of the company. They are also points of focus for Interim Executives of IEC LLC’s who work with some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies.
For more information, visit International Executive Consulting LLC today or drop us an email at info@interimcsuiteservices.com.
Once owners, board members and investors figure out what an interim is and how an interim can help them, the next question is always how much does an interim executive cost?
The short answer is: there is no shelf rate card for interim officers. Or more accurately, it doesn’t exist for the best interim in the world. There are a few reasons why rate cards don’t exist, not least among our IEC team, an elite group of interim, project and partial executives who have been selected to deliver incredible results across companies because of their track record.
Company positions vary greatly, so the scope of work is always unique:
Your company is your child and your child is like no other in the world. Thus, the leader’s capability you need and the process and deliverables required to achieve the best results is a tailor-made solution – no different than rack, one size fits all experiences. We’ve talked to a lot of owners who are disappointed after having to put out money to the firm that they finally delivered a large binder that includes beautiful charts and templates, but no ability to execute. At International Executive Consulting LLC, we treat your situation as unique, and therefore invest the time and effort to match you with an executive authority as well as a tailor-made comp plan for you.
You can’t get a prescription before sharing your problem:
Your doctor will not give you a prescription or treatment plan before listening to your symptoms. Same goes for interim. When we call with an interim executive, they immediately evaluate 1) what you want to achieve; 2) what is needed for the company to create a successful outcome; and 3) if they are excited about the challenge and believe they can provide value. After they listen to you, we’ll create a custom plan for you that defines time, commitment, and compensation.
The interim and permanent executive pay structure is different:
Contracts for interim officers are always short-term in nature. Interim Executives don’t sit comfortably on a hefty pay check or have a severance or benefits package to back them up as this is the case with regular permanent hires. As such interim always tries to bridge the gap between the performance of the company and where it wants to be. For an interim executive to be successful – knowing they won’t last forever – to go into engagement – they must excel and prove to be valuable every day… or they’re gone.
Fee structure may vary – hourly, daily, monthly, project based. Sometimes there is also a performance bonus or equity incentive if an interim is tasked with creating incredible growth in an organization.
If your company has special needs, the specific fit can be quickly ascertained with an interim Executive, with the outcome of a compensation determination that best suits the company’s objectives.
For detailed information visit International Executive Consulting LLC today or email info@interimcsuiteservices.com.
Having a qualified and competent executive management team is integral to the success of any organization. Problems arise, however, when an executive suddenly vacates a position or there is a mismatch between the internal capabilities of a leadership team and the actual skillsets needed for a specific stage of a company’s growth.
The world of interim management, a specialty that has grown significantly through the years, has offered an alternative route for companies wanting to maintain forward motion while re-evaluating what is needed to take them into the future. As opposed to a full-time executive search, interims can be on board in a matter of days and come with flexible contracts and pricing models.
Is interim management right for your company? Here are five common situations where hiring an Interim Executive may be appropriate.
Whatever the reason is, it’s rarely beneficial to keep their role vacant for too long. You risk disrupting workflow. You risk losing operational momentum. You risk decreasing employees’ morale. When there is a collective misunderstanding for the absence of executive leadership, this can lead to underlying anxiety, uncertainty, and demotivation.
Before reaching this point, interim management can be a solution. While sourcing a replacement for the executive position, an interim exec can keep things running as the business transitions. An Interim Executive steps in to move the organization forward while helping to re-evaluate what is required long-term for a leader to be successful.
Some executives can keep up with the demands of a growing business. They evolve and manage to lead their companies to reach greater heights. But for others, the growth can be overwhelming, and it demands different skillsets and expertise.
Our Interim Management Service provides on-demand, specialized executive leadership to help through these different growth stages. Maybe a division CEO is needed to establish and expand operations in a different country, or an Interim CEO is required to implement or streamline systems and process for a more efficient operation.
Companies may find themselves preparing for a sale or other similar milestone events. These are usually one-time events that require a specific skillset or expertise where interim management can be a huge asset. Interim executives may be called on to head up business development or even supplement management when there is no deal experience internally. The CEO, for example, serves an important role in the M&A process and if the permanent CEO has not been through a deal process before, looking to outside help can be a great solution. An interim Executive can be engaged on a project-basis to manage everything from due diligence, to interfacing with potential buyers or acquisition targets, to focusing on a post-deal integration plan.
If your business is in trouble it may be time to rethink your approach. Interim Executive provides a fresh, unbiased perspective from experts who have seen and helped companies emerge from seemingly worst-case scenarios. Bringing in an outside executive who can apply vast experience to assess the root of the problem and make the tough decisions, is often necessary to get a company back on a positive track. Once the fix is complete, interims move to their next challenge, handing the keys back to the company or new permanent executive to run with.
High-level and technical projects such as ERP implementations, product launches, or new manufacturing facility rollouts can be quite challenging. They often need people who have validated experience of operationalizing them successfully. A management team trying to embark in a business transformation for the first time can risk making common mistakes that could easily be avoided with experience.
As such, companies that are exploring implementing specialized projects can hire interim executives that have required technical experience to enable their successful execution.
Whatever stage your company is at, interim management can serve as an on-demand solution to draw on the best executive leadership for your most unique and pressing needs.
Get to know more, please visit us International Executive Consulting LLC or drop us an email at info@interimcsuiteservices.com.
What is interim management?
A few words for those who do not know the business of interim management. It is an activity that involves integrating experienced managers into organizations for a period of a few months to approximately 2 years, leading a major change, a strategic project, supporting a manager in difficulty or an immediate replacement. . All managerial positions may be the subject of Interim Management Services, with the most relevant being managing director, finance manager, human relations manager and operational positions.
What is Impact Interim Management?
Could interim management not be effective by definition? Yes, of course, but the notion of impact here is the same as that given for impact investing or impact companies.
Impact Interim Management is based on the notion of overall performance of an organization, which integrates economic, social and environmental performance. Therefore an IIM assignment is defined as a temporary management task that involves significant social or environmental improvements.
Is Impact Interim Management Relevant?
Interim management professionals and my practice as part of my interim manager assignments for 20 years shows that the answer is no, it will not be relevant. In fact, apart from a few rare assignments for specialists in ISO, the concepts of overall performance, sustainable development or CSR appear very rarely in the assignment’s specifications. And emphasizing your commitment to this area can leave the impression of a lack of commitment in the economic dimension, the priority of almost all assignments.
Examples of Impact Interim Management Assignments:
Assignment that includes an objective in its definition and an assessment of progress:
Developing a non-harmful activity to society by integrating approaches such as eco-design or circular economy or carbon footprint
An effect is not “to change the world” in an interim management Services. It can be a simple mission, just integrating a priority like “staff safety” and without negative impact on other dimensions of overall performance.
The rapid development of Impact Interim Management or something equivalent would indicate that the business world has aligned itself with the social and environmental challenges facing our society.
International Executive Consulting LLC is one of the known Interim Management Services provider company in USA and provide the Best Business Growth Consulting Services to our clients as per their need. Let’s have a quick call – +1-202-258-5376 get the best business consulting services.
“We stop the domino effect.” This sentence perfectly describes the effect of a successful renovation. The sooner you get an expert at your side, the greater your chance of a successful business restructuring. The expertise of the interim managers in the field of reorganization includes, among other things, the operational reorganization and improvement of the corporate structure and processes, the reorganization of controlling, in particular to monitor the success of the reorganization, short- or medium-term liquidity security including working capital management and ensuring sustainable competitiveness.
The Interim Restructuring Manager is also experienced in creating or reviewing independent business reviews (IBR), restructuring and restructuring concepts or IDW S6 reports. Thus, the Interim Manager restructuring takes care of the strategic, financial and operational realignment of your company.
Are you looking for an interim manager with expertise in restructuring?
As one of the market leaders in interim management, International Executive Consulting LLC supports you in finding the right candidate for your job. We will introduce you to the first candidates within 48 hours – for vacancy bridging projects and other topics where you need external know-how as well as for change management processes.
Our Interim CEO offers high flexibility paired with short-term availability and support you with strategic issues as well as with operational implementation support and also bridge possible competence and capacity bottlenecks.
For more information, visit our website now – https://www.interimcsuiteservices.com/!
As an executive who has spent his career growing companies, taking companies publicly, and selling businesses successfully, Cyril Moreau says that when he evaluates a parachute in a company, so first of all he does. Whether the company is venture-capital backed or in private or manufacturing, energy, semiconductors, or industrial equipment, it is always the first step to ascertain the current state of operations. Here are 4 stages of interim action for a company to improve growth and stability.
Step 1: Taking Hold
When a company wants to expand into new markets or scale operations to support current and future growth, Cyril takes on the role from an Interim CEO to executive chairman / interim executive, where they are part of the CEO and management team Coach and serve together. He describes how in the holding phase, an interim executive identifies what is broken – even fast-growing companies in need of repair. What’s getting in the way? What is causing trouble? Perhaps a bad product is being shipped, which results in customers complaining. These are real serious problems that you must address within the first 90 days. It is important to take orientation, evaluation, learning, and corrective action on broken things. It was your predecessor’s problem until you arrived, but after 90 days, it’s your problem. You have to do something about it. ”
Step 2: Immersion
The next phase is six months or immersion, where an Interim Executive is collecting a lot of information about what is working and what is not working in a company. For example, evaluating people’s skills is important to determine what people are in the right versus the wrong situation. “What skills does the company not have that are critical to success going forward?” Which often focuses on getting the A-player in the right position.
Step 3: Reshaping
After the immersion, an interim executive will spend a period of time from nine months to 18 months major changes. You start making changes that are really important to the long term success of the company. This is a period of great change. During this phase, an executive head may take initiatives such as:
Step 4: Consolidation
Finally, its consolidation time. You see what’s working, what’s not – then make the necessary adjustments. Till now major changes have not only been identified, but they have been implemented and refined. A company may be ready for an exit point or transaction, or the keys can now be handed over to a permanent executive, who will continuously refine, focus on a new three or five-year plan, new products, new technologies will roll out .
Historically, boards associate interim officers with turnarounds. Today more and more interim executives are asked to help take a company through growth and expansion. A set of skills and experiences may be entirely sufficient at certain stages of the size of the company. Some people are able to hone their skills and grow with the company through various stages and some cannot.
International Executive Consulting LLC consists of an expert team of operations, technology, finance, marketing and sales leaders who have built successful organizations and grown rapidly. To find out how an interim can affect the growth of your company, call 202-258-5376.
Do you know how the world’s top businesses succeed? The answer lies deep within their development strategies. Each employ successful business development strategies that fit with its business goal and ethics. It also complies with their workforce and complies with government rules and regulations.
When each factor is fully in place, a growth strategy can benefit any business. There are many such professional development strategies available and at your disposal. Below is a list of 4 growth strategies you should use for your business:
Often businesses deal successfully with their products in a specific market. To use a market expansion development strategy, a business can tap into previously unexplored markets where they can sell their existing products.
It is not necessary to be domestic in these markets. A business can also tap into international markets. Finding new customers helps a business improve its sales and profits, thereby increasing brand authority.
Market penetration allows you to plan how your business can grow with competitors selling similar products in the current market. It is the lowest risk strategy compared to others.
Here, you will fight to steal as much market share as possible. But this strategy requires a lot of work and will include pricing, product positioning and marketing. There is a way you can understand how many products you are selling compared to the total estimated market for that product.
Market penetration rate = (“Number of customers” should be divided by “Size of target market”) * 100
What do your customers want? Is your product adding value to your customer’s life? These are questions that you will have to answer. Listen to your customers and their needs. If your product is partially fulfilling customer’s needs, you can improve it. If not, you can create a new product with a higher price for your customers because they are willing to pay for it.
For a business to be successful in using this strategy, adequate research, understanding of the customer wants, and requirements are critical.
Also considered as the most risky growth strategy in the matrix, growth can occur through diversification when a business enters a new market with a new product. You can reduce risk by related diversification.
For Example: A car company may start working on stereo systems for vehicles or a leather shoe manufacturer may start selling leather purses in a new market.
Another method of diversification is to sell a new product that has no synergy with your business. The plus point here is that if successful, it will open a new revenue stream for the business.
These are some of the best growth strategies that are important to a business. They help to survive, improve market share + customer base, gain profits and do so consistently.
Need help executing these strategies for your business? With over 20 years of experience in Interim Management, Growth & Expansion, Cost Reduction, International Executive Consulting LLC is an Interim C-Level Management & Business Growth Consulting Firms in the United States with a variety of industries. Get in touch with us!
Do you consider interim management to be a necessary evil mandated by unplanned circumstances? If so, this is clearly a necessary evil with the required ROI. In particular, it is not usually found in your company’s business plan. When you are dreaming of the next gear, you do not expect long for the opportunity to intend to take over your business or investment. Rather, it is what you do when there is a skills gap in your core team, the sudden departure of a chief executive, an otherwise competent sitting executive who lacks all the necessary skills needed to execute a modified or expanded element of your strategic plan. Happen, a business obstacle stands in the way of achieving a performance KPI or price advantage, or a critical life cycle pivot in your company that a project CXO requires.
Value Extends Well Beyond Cost Considerations:
With the stage set for this construct of necessity for Interim Services, it’s worth highlighting that the total price tag for interim management is less costly than buyers of the services might first believe. In fact, the all-in costs can be measurably lower than a full-time executive – given the incremental expenses of bonuses, stock incentives, options, and perks – none of which are typically required for Interim Professionals. The additional expenses of a full-time employee also include what are sometimes underestimated costs, such as executive-level healthcare benefits, car reimbursements and payroll burden (i.e. state, federal and social security taxes). With all that said, the services rendered and their related charges are circumstantial, and the actual cost comparison is heavily dependent on many factors, including company size, industry, employer profitability and the unique circumstances of the scenario in question. In contrast, the all-in costs of an interim manager, inclusive of travel and ancillary expenses is an estimated minimum of 20% less costly than that of a long-term hire.
Positive Outcomes of Hiring a Temporary Senior Professional:
All of these broad categories have a dramatic impact on the bottom line for the company.
The Truth of The Matter:
This is not to say that there aren’t other solutions that can be considered for resolving gaps in the senior ranks and with a lower outlay of capital. Although a “do nothing” approach is reminiscent of the “hope is not a strategy” cliché, sometimes companies can leverage existing team members for project work due to a vacated spot, promote from within on an interim basis or split duties among current executives. However, this approach should be weighed carefully.
Interim Management is not always the right solution, but given its impressive and longstanding track record of return on investment and the ability to validate its value with results in the form of completed project work, departmental efficiency, firm KPI’s and the direct cost comparison as outlined above, its utility as a key tool in the toolkit for owners, boards and investors is likely to be heavily (and happily) leveraged for many years to come.
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* Security and Affiliation! *
As the name suggests, an interim manager is a temporary manager. Ideally, this is a matter of mutual understanding. It is therefore clear to both parties that this is a common path, for a common goal, for a limited time period. In this case, advantages of an interim manager can be fully exploited. At that moment the Interim Manager is only committed to success and is not hindered by securing the “job”. They can therefore concentrate completely on the matter at hand, on the essentials. The question of what needs to be done is never about: how do my decisions and actions influence my future in the company? Admittedly, it contradicts the understanding that generally prevails, namely the striving for security and belonging. However, it is only possible to escape this striving if the interim manager’s (self-) confidence in his or her own abilities and possibilities is high enough. It requires the willingness to constantly analyze the market in order to identify economic and market trends, as well as to adjust to the resulting requirements and adapt flexibly.
On the way to independence I often encountered the lack of understanding for the decision and the supposed uncertainty connected with it. Certainly, this way is also not the right for everyone. Only those who are willing to accept it, will have the chance to take advantage of the opportunities. A permanent position and self-employment are two completely different concepts, which are only partially compatible with each other and are therefore usually largely mutually exclusive.
*Opportunities Through the Interim Manager!*
This is one of the opportunities offered by the independence of an Interim Manager. The actions are geared to the task as well as the goal and keep the focus on the essentials without having to worry about “company politics”.
This is exactly where I see one of the reasons, why many things do not work out the way they should. Most of the people involved are often aware of the necessary actions or changes, but out of self-protection and fear of reprisals or not being part of it anymore, they are not addressed or implemented. Only a few dare to come out of their “cover”. If they do, however, they have to expect considerable difficulties with colleagues and superiors.
In practice, this now means that an Interim Manager should always be called in when changes are desired that require unpopular decisions or even the loss of the actual function or unit. The client does not incur any obligations and costs through the use of an Interim Manager as a result of lengthy separation procedures as with a permanent employee, as there are practically no notice periods and even less so no protection against dismissal. The company can hire specialist and management knowledge as required on a temporary basis. This is also one of the advantages of the interim manager, who after a mandate usually has a more or less long period of time off work, which must be used for further training and the continuous improvement of his/her services.
* Not Possible for One Employee! *
In addition to bridging a vacancy, Interim Management is about the concrete implementation of a goal or goals that are useful and important for the company, committing to one another in the long term. In comparison to consulting, it is about the actual implementation of projects with corresponding added values, rather than simply pointing out potentials. To realize profound changes often requires a high effort, which theoretically can also be done by the employees. However, since this cannot be sustained by them in the long run and thus cannot be achieved, they are forced to adjust their workload until it is sustainable for them over a longer period of many years.
So, who is Interim Management for? Actually, for every company that has temporary tasks or objectives that cannot be realized to the desired extent by internal employees for various reasons.
In these fast-moving times with their rapidly increasing changes, interim management can help companies to meet the constantly demanding challenges and to push ahead with their innovations. Ultimately, as a strategic building block for securing competitiveness.
* Success Through Limited Duration of Employment! *
This is the success that assigns the task to the Interim Manager and not the contract with the company. This results in an interesting opportunity for the company and the interim manager to work together with a variety of advantages and high benefits.
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