“It’s something for big companies” is a frequently heard misconception about bringing in the skills and experience of an interim manager. Smaller organizations (SMB, scale-ups) can reap those benefits too, especially in a moment of rapid growth, transition or crisis. That’s because interim leads ‘hit the ground running’, as their experience allows them to get up to speed very rapidly with a clearly defined mission.

“We don’t have the budget for that” is another misconception. An interim leader is hired for a limited time. (And it doesn’t always have to be full time.)

We’re not putting extra weight on the payroll but rather injecting knowledge, experience, specific skills (and an invaluable outsider perspective) into the company at an agreed price. An investment in the future rather than a luxurious expense.

Scale-ups and start-ups are often still very much rooted on their smart engineers and technical expertise. But they haven’t always been able to bring in the same level of business understanding, marketing skills and -vitally- the people skills to match their technical expertise. An interim manager can help to bridge that gap, part time or full time, and act as a companion to the company’s management. For financial investors, we can be the ‘boots on the ground’ support that helps to secure their investment.

And… we’re not there forever. We come in to fulfill a specific and temporary role. Nobody should feel threatened by an outsider: there’s no other ambition or agenda than mission success.