Interim Managers – can they really help SMEs?

 

Interim Managers – can they really help SMEs?

Interim managers – can they really help SMEs?

We all know that the big corporates have been using interim managers for years – in fact, the interim recruitment market has grown massively over the past decade. But can an interim professional, whether at manager or director level, genuinely help an SME. Let’s explore what this might mean. Of course, the classic anecdote which springs to mind when thinking about SME owner managers is that, for the most part, they wish to be in control of everything and feel nervous about letting go. Owner managers, by definition, have issues with control and often struggle to delegate key tasks. Firstly, some of this could be down to the fact that owners just don’t take enough time to step back and think about what they are looking to achieve when recruiting and they rarely spend sufficient time on it. As such, they are likely to miss out on finding a person who could be perceived to be good enough to carry out a senior role. Secondly, some of this is the fear of letting go – if they let go, then they lose some control and they fear they will not be able to get control back once its gone. However, if an SME owner manager is sufficiently enlightened to bring in a capable manager around them, whether in an interim role or indeed a permanent role, they can really start to delegate and be able to focus on more strategic issues and about driving the business forwards and not just the minutia of running the business day to day. Take Richard Branson. He has known all along that if you recruit a team of people around you, each of whom is more capable than you (either at a specific task or in a functional area), then you make the business much stronger and much better placed to move forwards in the future. So, let’s consider whether an SME should recruit an interim or not. Interims can help with s specific project or fill a gap left by the departure of a key manager. For example, they can help with a software implementation; a backlog in accounts; with operational issues in supply chain or opening up a new sales channel. It is likely that you may only need the interim for a short period, say 3-6 months but if you’re brave enough to let someone into your business, then they could just surprise you and impress you. The other key benefits to take into account when using an interim manager include: no employment law considerations or costs; one monthly invoice is issued so accounting and admin is kept to a minimum; you can “try before you buy” someone on a permanent basis so you can test their skills and experience and their cultural fit without any real commitment; they are highly results focussed so you can trust that they will wish to make a success of the project. If you would like to find out more about recruiting an interim, Cork Griffiths have a different way of looking at interim appointments and only charge 10% of the interim’s rate as an introductory fee. See interim-appointments for more information.

 

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