When a company faces a sudden leadership gap — a departing CFO, a new market entry, a restructuring — interim management is often the fastest and lowest-risk solution. Here is what every CHRO needs to know.

Definition

Interim management is the temporary placement of a highly experienced executive (CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, etc.) to lead an organization or a specific project for a defined period — typically 3 to 18 months.

Unlike a consultant who advises, an interim manager takes full operational responsibility and is embedded in the leadership team.

When to Choose Interim Management

– Sudden departure of a key executive

– Business transformation or restructuring

– International expansion requiring local expertise

– Bridge leadership during a permanent search

– Post-merger integration

Interim vs. Permanent: Key Differences

How to Find an Interim Executive Quickly

CEO Worldwide’s Management on Demand™ program maintains 16,300+ vetted interim executives across 183 countries. Submit a search mandate and receive a first shortlist of interim managers within 7–10 business days.

Key advantage: any interim assignment can be converted to a permanent contract at any time — giving companies the flexibility to assess cultural fit before committing.

→ Submit your interim management search now: www.ceo-worldwide.com/submit-your-executive-search.php

Throughout my article series, The Role of a CHRO in CEO Transitions, I’ve discussed how the CHRO can be an influential part of a major leadership transition. I’ve shared strategies for creating a connection, educating on the HR function, and integrating the CEO into the organization. Once these steps have taken place, a relationship has been formed between the CEO and CHRO that creates the opportunity for collaboration on a strategic level.

At this stage, the question becomes: How do you best collaborate with the top leader of an organization on people initiatives? The short answer is that each scenario will be unique, depending upon the circumstances.

Speaking personally, our new CEO Tom Watson and I have been colleagues at BKD for quite some time and have developed an effective working relationship. Tom understands my priorities for our people, and I have also taken the time to understand his strategic priorities in his role as a Regional Managing Partner and now as a CEO. This type of relationship enables me to approach him with new ideas and bring him in easily when we launch a major HR initiative. If you don’t have experience working with your new CEO in the past as a colleague, or if the new leader is an external hire, your challenges may look completely different.

Regardless of your circumstances, there are four guiding principles that can be applied across the board to collaborate effectively with your new CEO or other senior leader:

Understand the Business

First and foremost, it is critical that you have a deep understanding of the business you are operating in. This includes the core business model, operations, competitive landscape, and organization strategy. When you understand how the business works, you can work with your CEO more effectively and have productive conversations about how people initiatives will influence the overall success of the organization and increase its competitive advantages.   

Connect the Dots to Their Strategic Priorities

In the first article in this series, Relating to Your New CEO, I shared the importance of learning the new CEO’s top strategic priorities and vision for the future. When collaborating with the CEO, connect the dots back to these priorities when you are collaborating with them on HR initiatives. Here’s an example of how you might frame up the connection between an HR initiative and a strategic priority:

“I know the organization is looking to expand and has some aggressive growth goals in the next fiscal year. I think to accomplish this, we will need an increasingly diverse workforce that can provide a variety of perspectives and connect with a wide range of clients. As a result, we’d like to put together a specific HR strategy to attract diverse talent to our organization.”

Speak Their Language

Along the same theme of connecting the dots to strategic priorities, it is important to speak in terms that the new CEO will resonate with. The highest executive within an organization will likely be focused on the following key elements (along with others):

• Revenue growth
• Business expansion
• Profitability
• Shareholder returns

When you are working with the CEO, it will be important to incorporate these concepts into the planning process when you are discussing your goals and aspirations with people initiatives.

Ask for Their Input and Implement It

One of the most important aspects to building a connection with a senior leader in an organization is to actively seek out their input. By doing so, you are communicating that you understand the value of a different perspective and are open to feedback. Secondly, and more importantly, strive to implement their feedback into your strategy and initiatives. As an HR leader this will help communicate a sense of unity between you and the CEO to your team, which supports your credibility and gain buy-in from your team.

Collaborating with Your New CEO: Questions to Ponder:

1. What could you be doing differently to collaborate more effectively with your CEO?
2. What challenges have you overcome in collaborating with your CEO?
3. How have you worked to understand your business as an HR leader?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!