Difference between consultants and interim managers

(a short extract from the book Making a Difference)

There is an important difference between a consultant, and an interim manager.  A consultant, strictly speaking, is only giving advice, writing up recommendations and putting them down on paper.  In general, consultants can be seen as experts in a particular field, and interim managers as generalists who may have specialized skills and experience but who are ready to step in and manage different kinds of business problems and environments.  In short, an interim manager can give advice, but whatever happens, they are expected to stick around to get the job done.

Tip for business owners and managers:

If you need advice or want to know what your business is doing (or should be doing) go to a consulting firm; but if you want to actually implement something or bring about a change in the way you do things, bring in an interim manager.  You might be lucky to find one (usually bald, at least if he’s male) who has both the knowledge and the ability to take his jacket off and get the job done.

Read more on the subject of interim management and the challenges it poses on the Making-a-Difference Forum or visit the About the Book section to discover the breadth of subjects covered in Harley Lovegrove’s book.  back to top

Strategic role of the interim manager

 (a short extract from the book Making a Difference)

A problem that many interim managers encounter is to find themselves working for businesses with structural weaknesses that are either not identified by the owners or, even worse, are simply ignored.  In that case the strategic role of the interim manager should be to identify the weaknesses, and wherever possible to ensure that any imbalance is rectified.

I tend to see interim managers as temporary COOs (Chief Operations Officers), logical organizers who use their blend of operational skills and emotional intelligence to roll a plan into action.  An interim manager can also step in as CEO for a while, especially if there is something that needs fixing from the top down.  But once that is fixed, he or she needs to help recruit their replacement and move on to the next challenge, knowing that they have made a difference by improving what they left behind.

Read more on the subject of interim management and the challenges it poses on the Making-a-Difference Interim Manager’s Forum or visit the About the Book section to discover the breadth of subjects covered in Harley Lovegrove’s book.  back to top

9-Step approach to problem solving

In my book ‘Making a Difference’ I have identified nine steps for solving serious problems.  The book explores each one in detail but below you can see a brief overview to give you an idea of what is involved:

The Nine Step Process:

Step 1: What's the problem?
            Understand and define the current situation
Step 2: How did the business get to where it is today?
            Looking at the past to understand how the current situation came about
Step 3: Cash, Culture and Competence
            Examining the company’s foundations
Step 4: What are the aspirations of the business and its leaders?
             Understanding the long term objectives of the business, to be sure that any  solution will be in line with them
Step 5: Decision time
            What should be tackled first and is the business fully committed?  Implementing processes to ensure good decisions
Step 6: Structuring the solution
            Building a solution plan and creating the project
Step 7: Recruiting resources and obtaining buy-in
            How to ensure you have the right people, resources and commitment
Step 8: Implementing the solution
            Staying on track and focused on the objectives
Step 9: Assessing the results
            Measuring success by comparing the results of the intervention with the aspirations

In the Download Tools section you can find an MS Word version of the Nine Steps

Read more on the subject of interim management and the challenges it poses on the Making-a-Difference Interim Manager’s Forum or visit the About the Book section to discover the breadth of subjects covered within it.    back to top

10 Attributes of a good interim manager

 (a short extract from the book Making a Difference)

A good interim manager should have:

1. A strong desire to solve other people’s problems
2. The conviction that they are the best person to solve them
3. Extreme resilience, the ability to bounce back after any setback
4. A high emotional IQ
5. A good memory for faces and names
6. A clear, structured approach to every task
7. A natural ability to plan (a good interim manager is always making lists)
8. A strong sense of priorities
9. The knack to sell anything to anyone
10. A willingness to learn from mistakes

Interim managers also need to be sensitive to other peoples’ moods.  Having the strength and patience, in busy situations, to make subtle suggestions and adaptations is vitally important.  The straight path is not always the most efficient; detouring to avoid head-on collisions with people is a necessary part of driving on the road of change and success.

In order to get the best out of their team and to anticipate signs of potential issues (which is essential if the team is to run at a high level of efficiency and avoid pitfalls),

Read more on the subject of interim management and the challenges it poses on the Making-a-Difference Interim Manager’s Forum or visit the About the Book section to discover the breadth of subjects covered by Harley Lovegrove. back to top