What does it take to be an Interim Manager?
A career as a professional Interim Manager is a challenging but exciting experience. Here we talk to Rob Deri, a specialist in the Retail Sector.
Rob, people get into Interim Management for a variety of reasons. How did you start and what were you doing beforehand?
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and have worked in a number of senior roles in the retail and technology sectors. I was General Manager on the Board of BT Mobile Communications during a time of enormous growth in the telecoms sector, Group Finance Director for Grattan plc and Chief Financial Officer for 5 years on the Board of an AIM listed technology business.
I am currently involved in a Change Management and Cost Optimization programme for one of the UKs largest retailers. Previous interim roles have included being interim Finance Director during a reverse takeover and listing on AIM and a new business development project for a games company.
Your career has involved working at the highest level in a variety of high growth businesses. You now work in a very different way with terms and conditions that are governed by relatively short-term contracts.
What attributes do you think Interims need to succeed?
The priority as an Interim Manager is to get to grips with your assignment quickly. You need to be clear about your objectives, roll up your sleeves and get on with it with a positive attitude. You cannot expect the trappings of a senior executive position such as PA’s or Secretaries.
The key to success is to proactively build relationships within the organization – you can’t ‘sit in the long grass’ waiting for people to come to you. It is vital to get to know the people who are going to help you deliver your project. You also need to have a flexible approach as it is very likely that the client will ask you to undertake other tasks once they are comfortable with your abilities.
Finally as with any leadership role you need to be a good communicator so that you can share your knowledge and transfer your critical skills to the team you are working with and to others in the organizations. This way the client receives a benefit that goes beyond the short-term.
What do you see as the main challenge for Interims?
The main challenge for interims is to be selective and clever about the work you take on. It can be tempting to take on projects because they are there, rather than properly thinking through whether they match your skill sets and expertise.
Getting to grips with a business quickly is vital for an Interim. How do you prepare for the assignments that you receive?
My advice would be to try to focus on areas where you already have expertise and therefore where you can add value. The client will not be happy if they are effectively paying for you to be on a learning curve. Research the client, its history, competitors and their markets well before you start working so that you are able to hit the ground running and have some credibility when you start. Don’t skimp on this and continue learning about the business when you start. Get industry periodicals etc – make an effort. Also as mentioned above I think you must establish a clear set of requirements against which you can be judged. Give regular updates to the client on progress and ask for feedback to check that all is working as you think it is.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of a career in Interim Management?
I think the two pieces of advice I would give is to first, ‘Know what you don’t know’ – be confident enough to admit that there are areas you have minimal expertise in and secondly to make sure you remain objective. Every business has its own politics, ways of working and personalities and it is important not to be constrained by these whilst at the same time being sensitive to them.
What do you enjoy outside of Interim Management, and how do manage the work/life balance?
I have three active children between the ages of 7 and 16 so my spare time tends to revolve around the family. We surf throughout the year on the East Coast so this tends to keep us busy and cold! I am also a Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust.
