Executive Interim Leadership: The Ace Up Our Sleeve

Some executives spend decades at a company, doing a solid job but leaving no legacy. Others come in for just six months and change the business forever, sparking innovation, shaking up old processes and lifting morale. In leadership, tenure isn’t everything. It’s what you do with your time that counts.

By Aaran Dosanjh, Senior Partner

I am fortunate to be responsible for both Interim Management and Executive Search for my clients, but I feel interim management is not talked about enough. So, let’s talk about this group — the interim executives who drive significant and lasting change in a short period. What’s the secret to their success? And how does Page Executive consistently find the right interim leaders for our clients?

To start answering these questions, we need to take a quick detour to the 19th century and learn a valuable lesson from one of the greatest presidents of the USA.

The Art of Sharpening the Axe

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” When companies face an unexpected leadership gap, they often feel pressure to find a replacement quickly. But just as Lincoln understood the importance of prepping his tools before tackling a task, I believe in taking the time to carefully assess and select candidates who have the right qualities and skills to succeed in an interim role.

When I’m searching for interim leaders, I look for three key qualities one would expect to find in a modern-day conscious leader: honesty, humility and emotional intelligence. Honesty builds trust and credibility with teams and stakeholders. Humility allows leaders to recognise their own limitations and seek input from others. And emotional intelligence enables them to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics and build strong relationships.

I also think a great interim executive should err on the side of over-communication. During times of change and uncertainty, people crave information and clarity. Successful interim leaders understand this and make communication a top priority, ensuring that everyone is working towards a clear, common goal.

What else gives them their edge? At the risk of giving you the idea that I’m obsessed with U.S. history (or Broadway musicals, for that matter), I can’t help but think of a lyric from Hamilton that captures what sets the best interim leaders apart: “In the eye of the hurricane, there is quiet for just a moment.” Amid the chaos and turbulence of a challenging business environment, these leaders can find that moment of calm and clarity. This allows them to step back from the day-to-day firefighting and think strategically about the future.

Of course, the best interim leaders don’t just hunker down. They also have the courage to step back into the storm and drive change when needed. They are unafraid to challenge the status quo and push for the behavioural and process adaptations they know are necessary to drive transformation. This combination of strategic thinking and bold action is what enables them to make a lasting impact in a short amount of time.

How I Identify Interim Conscious Leaders

So, how do I gauge these qualities when assessing candidates? One of my favourite – slightly unorthodox – questions is, “What was your worst moment in a recent assignment?” This question often reveals a candidate’s true character and leadership style. I want to know how they handled the toughest challenges, the lessons they learned from the experience and how they applied those insights going forward.

I also pay close attention to how candidates talk about their experiences. Do they take ownership of their mistakes or shift blame onto others? Do they emphasise personal growth and learning or gloss over the difficult parts? How candidates frame their experiences speaks volumes about their self-awareness and growth mindset.

But I don't just rely on the candidate's own account. References play a crucial role in painting a complete picture. I reach out to a diverse range of people who have worked with the candidate - peers, subordinates and superiors. I ask them to describe specific instances where the candidate's leadership was put to the test.

Did they maintain composure and clarity of purpose under pressure? Were they able to rally and motivate their team in the face of setbacks? Did they demonstrate empathy and emotional intelligence in their interactions? The insights gleaned from these conversations are priceless in assessing a candidate's leadership mettle.

By asking tough questions and seeking honest feedback, I can separate true conscious leaders from those who merely talk the talk. This comprehensive evaluation process ensures my clients get the resilient and innovative leaders they need to succeed.

Turning the Tide: The Power of Unbiased Leadership in Corporate Turnarounds

In the world of corporate turnarounds, finding the right interim leader can make all the difference. Let me share a recent success story that illustrates this point.

Our client, a £1bn turnover global manufacturing company facing significant financial challenges, needed a Transformation Director to streamline their ERP systems and rationalise their manufacturing footprint. This complex task required a battle-tested leader with a proven track record of driving change.

After a thorough search, we identified the ideal candidate. This individual had a wealth of experience in manufacturing transformations and a strong background in Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement. But their key differentiating qualities were — you guessed it —honesty, humility and emotional intelligence.

Once on board, the new Transformation Director quickly got to work. They brought in two Programme Directors; one focused on manufacturing and the other on ERP Implementations. Together, they streamlined the company’s extensive 27 ERPs down to just six, moved to a new shared service function and closed several sites that weren’t part of the company’s long-term strategy. This led not only to significant short term cost savings by reducing their manufacturing footprint and legacy estate, but also in creating more efficient working processes within Transactional Financial services for the business.

What made this transformation program particularly successful, was the interim leader’s ability to make unbiased decisions. They weren’t tied to the organisation’s past or worried about their own long-term career prospects. Instead, they were able to objectively assess the situation and make the tough calls needed to ensure the company’s survival with no political agenda.

The results speak for themselves. Not only did the transformation help the company navigate the various post COVID-19 pandemic challenges, but it also set them up for long-term success. And it all started with finding the right interim leader – someone with the technical skills, experience and leadership qualities needed to spearhead lasting change.

From Startup to Scale-Up: The Importance of Asking “Why?”

Honesty and humility are just as crucial for executive recruiters as for executives. At Page Executive, we strive to find the perfect match for our clients every single time (apologies for the cliché, but it's true!) — and sometimes, that means changing course completely and asking the right questions to understand the client’s actual needs.

We once worked with a venture capital-owned startup looking to implement corporate best practices to support their growth. They needed an interim leader to help them scale up and professionalise their operations.

However, our initial placement struggled to make the desired impact. Armed with extensive corporate experience, the interim executive tried to implement the same strategies and processes they had used in larger organisations. But the startup wasn’t ready for such a significant leap forward.

This experience taught us the importance of asking “why.” We needed to dig deeper to understand the startup’s unique challenges and goals. Were they looking to implement corporate best practices wholesale, or did they need a tailored approach that fit their current growth stage?

With this newfound perspective, we went back to the drawing board. We replaced the initial interim executive with a candidate who had experience in both corporate environments and the startup world. This leader understood the importance of taking a staged approach to growth, focusing on the foundational elements before moving on to more advanced strategies.

The results were remarkable. The new interim leader worked closely with the startup’s team to implement best practices appropriate for their current stage of development. They helped the company put in place the systems and processes needed to support their growth without overwhelming them with too much change too quickly.

In the end, the project was a resounding success. The startup scaled up its operations effectively, setting the stage for future growth and success. It all started with taking a step back, asking the right questions, and finding an interim leader who could meet the company where they were at.

The Page Executive Edge: Connecting Dots for Transformative Solutions

For some executive recruiters, finding the right interim leader is about matching a candidate’s technical skills and background to a client’s requirements. At Page Executive, that’s just step one.

Often, clients come to us with a specific idea of the candidate they need. They might say, “We want someone from industry A, B, or C who has delivered projects X, Y, and Z.” But our job is to show them the value of diversity of thought and experience. We help them realise they already have a fantastic skill set and deep understanding of their organisation. They need someone who can infuse new ideas and best practices from other industries, sparking innovation and lasting change.

Remember when the retail industry was scrambling to find candidates from within their own sector to lead their digital transformation efforts? They were all expanding their e-commerce and direct-to-consumer channels, but why limit yourself to someone from traditional brick-and-mortar retail when you could bring in a candidate from FinTech or another industry further ahead in their digital journey?

That's where Page Executive really shines. With our team's collective experience spanning multiple industries and countries, we can connect the dots in ways other recruitment and search firms simply can't. We look beyond the obvious and find interim leaders who can bring knowledge and insights from different environments and, critically, a proven track record of delivering significant change within tight timeframes.

Take the first step towards transformative interim leadership by getting in touch with us today. We can't promise you the next Abraham Lincoln, but we'll certainly find you an interim leader who will bring fresh perspectives, challenge the status quo and drive your organisation towards rapid, sustainable success.