There are many occasions when companies will utilize an Interim Manager or a fill in.  Depending on the significance of the position a company may ask a current employee to temporarily fill in while they look for a permanent position.  However, other positions often require an Interim Manager to be hired from the outside.
What is expected of an Interim?

Interim managers must have a balanced personality and approach their assignments with the needs of the whole company in mind.  He should not be easily put off by the amount of demands or the resistance from employees and colleagues.
A good interim manager must be able to fully understand and appreciate the company’s wishes. They have to be able to get along well together. It is also vitally important that the interim manager and the company come to an understanding concerning their mutual expectations.

An Interim must also be able to recognize and respond appropriately to power games from other employees.  He must also be able to listen to others and respond appropriately.  Those who were close to the previous Manager may feel slighted or have resentment against any Manager that fills in before giving him a fair chance.

Being an Interim Manager also requires the ability to build a relationship with the whole organization.  This is crucial so he can easily and properly delineate while helping the organization advance.

Flexibility is key and the most successful Interim Managers are often the ones that are not restricted by rate or location. You must also be able to quickly fit in with a diverse range of cultures and working environments.

Hiring an Interim….

Hiring for an Interim can be difficult, but the key is to remember it is a temporary position while you are looking for that perfect candidate.  However, you need your company to continue to run smoothly, which means the Interim must be able to keep up, hold his own and get the job done effectively.

When hiring an Interim you want to consider:  Does his experience and knowledge fit the assignment?  Has he had to deal with a similar type of problem or scenario before?  Does he seem like a team player but can stand his ground with employees?  Will this person be able to help our organization?

Success with an Interim Manager

• It is important to be specific of the expectations and time frame and how the outputs will be measured.
• Write a position description to provide clarity and ensure understanding of position.
• Upon hiring, negotiate the compensation as well as the contract terms including if the Interim may be hired as an employee or independent contractor.
• Ensure the Interim knows to whom they report and who will hold them accountable.
• Provide frequent feedback and have set meetings.
• Ensure the Interim has appropriate and adequate resources.
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Hiring for or working as an Interim Manager is not much different than hiring or working as a Manager.  This is a way for a company to test the waters or to have the job get done while looking for that key Leader.  This is a great transition tool to help employees move from one leader to another.

Are you a respected leader?  Do you expect respect from your employees?  If you answered yes to these questions, you probably understand how important respect is within a business.  You probably have a good idea of the repercussions a department faces when respect is not at its core.  If you do not feel respected by your employees I suggest you quickly find out why.

If you are not getting respect from your employees or perhaps you just transitioned into a management position you should do a self evaluation and assess your leadership methods, skills and techniques.  My clients use my book My Leadership Plan to help them assess and understand their current techniques, evaluate what is currently working or not working and analyze what methods may be more effective.

Leaders who understand the importance of respect within the team typically understand the criticalness of respect with customers.  Unfortunately it is not uncommon to witness an unsettling encounter between a customer and an employee.  At any given time you may witness disrespectful behavior from an employee or a rude customer causing chaos.  These situations require specific customer service training for all employees.  This is often where many companies fail in training.

Management or Human Resource Directors often assume that people know how to treat others with respect and therefore will understand how to treat customers.  Just because someone is a great employee, both dedicated and hard working, does not mean they know how to talk to an employee respectfully.  Many times the employee does not even realize they are being disrespectful.  This is why customer service training is so critical in business.

Think back to the last few business interactions where you were the consumer.  It doesn’t matter if you were donating something, purchasing items or asking a simple question ~ were you treated with respect?

I remember last spring I called a couple small lawn-service businesses offering 2 free lawn mowers.  Although the lawn mowers did not work, I wanted to offer them to someone who may know how to fix them for they still were quality lawnmowers.  A lady from of the companies I called was very kind and appreciative and even repeated several times “Thank you for thinking of us.”  She said she would talk with the owner about a good pick up time and call me back later that even or in the morning.  She never called!  I was able to get rid of the lawn mowers later that week, so that was not a problem.  I was, however, struck that a small business that is striving for customers and attempting to make a name for their business would be so disrespectful.  A simple lack of courtesy that would have taken less than a minute to complete cost them a future customer.  Ironically I needed service on my lawnmower later that week.  It is no mystery that I did not call them to service my lawnmower.  However, I did want to offer them our customer service training.

Respect is business is critical.  It goes beyond manners and basic customer service training.  As a leader, it is critical for you to have your employees trained in various customer service training.  Employees need to be trained and monitored upon initial hire and then randomly to evaluate their interactions with customers.  I have encountered many employees during my trainings that were not aware that they were being disrespectful or using negative gestures.  After proper and thorough customer service training the company is now rated Excellent on customer service.  The most repeated comment made by evaluators was how respected they felt by employees.

Expect respect for you, your employees and your customers!