| bottom-link"> | | | | The most important part of interim executive |
| A position in interim executive management is one | | | | management education is your former experience |
| of the most exciting and challenging jobs | | | | as an executive. Only by being an executive can |
| you’ll ever tackle. | | | | you understand exactly how to fill the role. |
| Because you have to slip into a position and | | | | Beyond that, an interim executive manager needs |
| immediately take up the reins, you must be | | | | to be broad-based in his or her skills, so must |
| personable and intelligent. Because you need to be | | | | learn everything possible about every aspect of |
| able to perform almost any executive job with | | | | business management. In today’s business |
| little or no preparation, you’ll need to have | | | | environment, executive interim managers |
| broad-based experience and education. And | | | | especially must be well-versed in technology, and |
| because your position may require a wide variety | | | | understand how IT tools can maximize the |
| of different skills and management techniques, | | | | potential of a company. |
| you’ll need to be flexible and quick to learn. | | | | Rarely will a person without at least an MBA be |
| Interim executive management is, in short, more | | | | able to enter interim executive management. A |
| challenging than almost any CEO job you can | | | | PhD is better. Often having a law degree will give |
| imagine; and it’s a perfect way to prepare | | | | you a real advantage. |
| yourself to be a CEO. | | | | Working With Difficult Situations |
| Character Counts | | | | Interim executive management often involves |
| One of the most important traits of a candidate | | | | dealing with difficult management situations, like |
| for interim executive management is good | | | | downsizing and business change or acting as a |
| character. You’ll be entering a variety of | | | | temporary replacement for a bad executive. Your |
| different businesses, some of who may compete | | | | position will come with some heavy baggage, and |
| with one another, and you will be privy to many | | | | you’ll need to overcome preconceptions |
| of their trade secrets. You will, of course, have to | | | | your coworkers won’t even realize they |
| sign confidentiality agreements with each | | | | have. |
| employer; but it will be your character that | | | | When you’re taking over the position of a |
| determines whether you will maintain the letter of | | | | fired executive, you must step in and make the |
| that agreement. | | | | position your own. The more quickly you can |
| Honesty is vital for interim executive | | | | thoroughly replace the failed executive and begin |
| management; you need to be able to tell your | | | | reversing the damage he did, the easier it will be |
| employer the truth about his company, especially | | | | to gain the respect of your coworkers. |
| the uncomfortable ones that no one else will say. | | | | If you’re in a company that needs interim |
| Whether his executive vice president is | | | | executive management because of business |
| incompetent and passes all his work to his | | | | change — downsizing, offshoring, or other |
| assistant, or the company’s finances are | | | | strategies that may be leading to the loss of jobs |
| not quite as stable as the CFO would like | | | | — you should remember to be tactful at all |
| everyone to believe, or even if the issues are | | | | times. Even if you know who’s going to be |
| more minor yet critical to the proper function of | | | | let go, you need to treat all coworkers equally |
| the company, the truth needs to be told in order | | | | and divorce yourself as far as possible from that |
| to begin to mend the problems. | | | | knowledge. It goes without saying that you also |
| Strength and willpower will be important when | | | | should never engage in any kind of gossip. |
| carrying out your main functions in interim | | | | Each new position will not only be challenging in |
| executive management. As effectively a | | | | itself, but the peculiar circumstances surrounding it |
| temporary employee, permanent executives may | | | | will provide further challenge. Interim executive |
| try to push you around. Only if you push back as | | | | management is one of the most challenging and |
| hard as they push you will you survive. | | | | interesting careers you can choose. |
| Education and Experience | | | | |