Regardless of the reason for the separation, the departure of an executive (CEO, COO, CFO, President, Vice President) is seldom easy and the resulting transition is critical to the lifecycle of your organization. While an executive vacancy presents a challenge for remaining team members and others associated with your organization, it also presents an opportunity to become clear about:
- The organization’s current status;
- Its future direction; and
- Immediate and long-term strategies for realizing corporate goals.
Unfortunately, an executive search is typically a time-consuming and expensive process. For a variety of reasons, most organizations choose not to undertake an immediate search. For example, the board may not be clear about the required attributes of the new executive, current operations may first need to be improved or unresolved issues may still be lingering. Whatever the reason for the delay, the period from the creation of the vacancy to the conclusion of what is usually a six to 12-month search is too long to be without executive leadership. Engaging a professional interim executive affords time to conduct a thorough search. It also provides confidence that your organization will be well-managed during the search and prepares the company for the outgoing executive’s successor to hit the ground running.
As an interim executive, we will provide a sense of stability and continuity; provide a fresh, diagnostic view of your organization; facilitate the planning and implementation of change; and help resolve outstanding issues. With the assistance of an interim executive, you will find that your objectives are met more effectively and efficiently.
