Blog Post: Being the Interim Guy

This common scenario illustrates how important it is for the interim leader/supervisor to be very clear and confident about what they stand for in terms of values and expectations.  Even if the boss is only the boss for a six week detail, it's worth it to kick off the engagement with a face to face conversation with employees about "what it will be like." 

As an interim leader, have a staff meeting in the first few days of your assignment. The meeting should have two agenda items:

1. What do you, the staff, need from me so that this time together is positive and fruitful?

2. Here's what I need from you to make this positive and fruitful. 

The conversation itself will likely relieve some of the frustration that mounts while everyone is trying to figure you out.  The topics discussed might include frequency of checking-in/feedback, methods of checking in (face to face, phone, email), expectations for timeliness, customer service expectations (how fast should we respond), etc.  Depends on the office and the type of work, but you get the picture.

Too often you guys hit the ground running and don't take the time to breath and think about the success factors for the engagement. This is stuff that doesn't just happen with the snap of a finger and training can assist leaders in defining these expectations.  I could go on and on. . .

I'd love to hear from you!  What are your employee performance challenges?  What strategies have you found that help you address these issues? Reply to this blog, send me an email, or visit me online at www.managementeducationgroup.com.