The benefits of being an Interim Manager

Introduction
It's not uncommon for professional managers, having reached a senior position within an organisation, to find their careers losing momentum. Not surprisingly, there are fewer places at the top of the tree than lower down. Despite their leadership skills and a wealth of experience, there is simply nowhere further to go; they've reached a ceiling and the rewards and satisfaction they get from their work begin to plateau.
Moving to another company might provide fresh impetus – but for how long? Disruption to family life and schooling could easily outweigh the benefits of moving to a new permanent role.
Faced with this conundrum, many professional managers seize the opportunity to forge a more dynamic and stimulating career in Interim Management. A role in which they can be confident their abilities will be fully appreciated and rewarded appropriately.
Working as an Interim Manager can present some challenges – especially when you are initially first setting up and trying to build a reputation. However, registering with a respected Interim Services Provider can make the transition very much easier and the benefits of Interim life can be substantial. They include:

Recognition for your abilities
As Interim Managers are called in where clients have identified a lack of capable people in-house, your professional skills will have been recognised before you even start an interim management assignment. As you begin to apply them, you can be confident your achievements will be appreciated – and any kudos that attaches to the successful delivery of a project will be yours. 

Personal responsibility and accountability
Reporting directly to the client – often at Board level – and working almost always in a senior executive role, you'll be personally and often solely responsible for delivering your assignments on time and on budget.

Get the rewards you deserve
If you have the experience and the ability, the rewards can be substantial. As an Interim Manager, your potential income will be limited only by the laws of supply and demand; and never again by subjective salary reviews.

Variety and flexibility
Interim Managers should never get bored. Interim projects last typically from 3 - 6 months, so you are very unlikely to be going to the same place of work day after day, year after year.
You may, however, need to work away from home (usually on weekdays only) from time to time. On the up-side, how much of a break you take between interim management assignments is entirely up to you, so there are a real opportunities to create a better work/life balance.

The absence of politics
Interim Managers need to be objective at all times. As an external, interim resource, you should be able to distance yourself from office politics – indeed one of your strengths will be your non-partisan relationship with your client's workforce.

Personal development
The wide range of potential clients and roles open to you, the opportunities to broaden your experience and develop your professional skills, the confidence and satisfaction you'll gain as your reputation builds and the control you'll now have over how you use your time, will almost certainly enhance your personal development.

Satisfaction and enjoyment
Being your own boss is seldom straightforward but being in greater control of your own destiny is the greatest reward of all.

 

Public sector must focus on 'people value' rather than just 'people costs'
The pay of a small number of highly skilled interim managers
Added: 11/08/2010

Emergency Budget comment from the REC: A budget for jobs
The REC has welcomed Chancellor George Osborne's proposals i
Added: 05/07/2010

More