Time to Take Action: How to Lead During the First Few Weeks of an Interim Assignment
A new interim leader is expected to take action immediately, but also to rally an organization that the person has barely had time to get to know. Mats Reidler (Director, Interim Search) has examined how senior interim leaders handle this in his MBA study. The answer has less to do with choosing the right leadership style than with managing several at once—and knowing just how little time you have.
The time window at the beginning is short
Being both motivating and autocratic sounds like a contradiction. According to Mats Reidler, it is precisely that contradiction that makes it possible to carry out early interim assignments.
As a new leader, there is often an initial psychological window of opportunity during which quick and clear decisions can feel both motivating and rational.
This window of opportunity arises because the organization does not yet have a clear view of the new leader. Decisions that might later be perceived as top-down are interpreted in this situation as setting the direction and pace. It is a fleeting opportunity and therefore something to be used deliberately, not something to wait for a consensus on.
Furthermore, these early decisions do something that no survey can do as quickly: they sort things out.
The initial decisions may give an indication of who is willing to contribute to change and who might need to take a different path.
Relationships don't have time to mature. But they're needed all the same.
The study suggests that relationships take a back seat when the focus is firmly on the goal. Mats Reidler’s own response points in a different direction.
Relationships are by no means unimportant in an interim assignment, but they rarely have time to develop in the same way as they do in a permanent leadership role.
The time limit doesn’t have to be an obstacle. When both sides know that the assignment has an end date, a sense of clarity emerges that makes it easier to quickly build sufficiently strong relationships with those who want to be part of driving the change. The key, then, is not to try to reach everyone, but to reach the right people.
The price of failure, on the other hand, is high—and it comes quickly.
If the interim leader fails to build trust and foster good relationships, engagement can quickly decline.
It is the leader’s responsibility to combine clarity in the mission with a hands-on approach and respect for the people who will implement the change.
Don't wait for the full analysis
According to Mats Reidler, the question of when one stops analyzing and begins executing is based on a flawed premise. These are not two consecutive phases.
The starting point should be a preliminary analysis from the client. It doesn’t have to be complete, but it should define the scope of the project, and the project leader and the client must be in complete agreement on this. With that in place, execution can begin as early as the first week. The most critical decisions should be saved until you are certain that the big picture is accurate. The common pitfall is the opposite: waiting for the analysis to be finished and, in the meantime, losing the momentum that the initial window of opportunity provided. Mats Reidler summarizes the principle briefly:
Analysis and execution must take place simultaneously.
HOW TO DO IT: Five Steps Through the First Few Weeks
1. Agree on the scope of the assignment first. The analysis provided by the client does not need to be complete, but you
You must agree on the scope of the assignment before taking broad action.
2. Make clear decisions early on. The window where quick decisions are seen as a direction rather than top-down control
turns off on its own.
3. See who steps forward. The reactions to the initial decisions say more about the organization than most
surveys.
4. Focus your relationship-building efforts where they’ll be most effective. You can't keep up with everyone. Build trust with those who want to take the lead.
the change.
5. Save the tough decisions for later. Proceed from week one, but wait to make it irreversible until you know that the image
That's right.
Mats Reidler is a Director at Interim Search. This article is based on his MBA thesis on interim leadership. The series continues
with Part 2 on the HR perspective.
Are you facing a change or do you need to strengthen your leadership at short notice?
The right interim leader makes a difference from day one. Contact us Mats Reidler or contact our team at Interim Search today to secure the right expertise for your assignment.
