Hiring an Interim Manager in Belgium because of behavioral aspects?

Working with Interim Managers have two well-known advantages that are known to many of us:

1. Bring in specific knowledge, that is not available in the organisation
2. Provide extra capacity, when needed for a project or in case of illness, without creating a permanent position and this way keeping a flexible cost structure

But Interim Managers can bring other advantages that can be summarized as behavioural aspects that especially external partners can bring:

First, they build credibility with employees by sharing, not keeping back, their subject-matter expertise.

Second, they gain employees’ trust by emphasizing that they have no stake in the outcome except a job well done. They don’t care about office politics and will even provide opportunities for talented employees to shine. They don’t have anything to gain by taking credit from you. You can trust them much more than you can trust your own boss by revealing problems. They’re not going to punish you for that, but do you trust your own manager not to do that?

A survey-based study that found successful interim managers leverage their outsider status to get things done.  Their major disadvantage — a missing network within the company — is a problem that good interim managers know how to avoid with their diplomatic skill set.

Personality plays a big part in helping interim managers quickly build credibility with the employees they work with. The best ones are open-minded, good listeners, and respectful of both boundaries and internal expertise. If they enter with a threatening or demeaning tone, they will destroy their chance at a good first impression.  

Most interim managers are in a mature stage of their careers, they have acquired a certain amount of knowledge, and they want flexibility that comes with being a freelance interim manager. They are people who aren’t necessarily young and hungry, nor desperate for work. What they appreciate is the ability to have some choice over what they do and how they do it.

For companies, there are advantages to taking on interim managers. Such engagements may be especially beneficial for fast-growing companies with fast-changing management needs, or in firms where politics can get in the way of progress. But there are also limitations: interim managers are not employees, and the clients cannot tell them how to perform their tasks.

Companies should also be mindful that contracts are specific and binding, so the objectives do not become moving targets.