Boards tend to regard interim hires as a temporary expedient—useful in a crisis, but inferior to a permanent appointment. This assumption is often misplaced. In periods of significant organisational change, an interim executive can offer not only the fastest solution, but the most enduring benefits.
When change outpaces capacity, boards face a choice
The modern corporation operates in a state of near-constant transition. Growth initiatives, restructurings, technology upgrades and competitive shocks increasingly overlap. Yet many leadership teams remain designed for stability rather than transformation. When change outpaces capacity, boards face a choice: wait for the right permanent hire or inject experienced leadership immediately. Increasingly, the latter is the more rational option.
Interims accelerate change
Interim hires are engaged to accelerate change, not to mark time. Their value lies in execution. Most bring decades of experience leading transformation across multiple organisations. They arrive without the learning curve, internal political constraints or career incentives that can slow permanent executives. For boards focused on outcomes rather than optics, this distinction matters.
Change consumes management attention
Capacity is the first constraint boards should test. Change consumes senior management attention and often erodes operational performance in the process. Appointing an interim to lead transformation protects the core business while reform proceeds. It is, in effect, a way of containing execution risk.
Buying your business time
Time is the second constraint. Delay is rarely neutral. Markets, regulators and competitors do not wait for internal alignment. Interim hires buy time by compressing decision-making and accelerating delivery. In some cases, they provide something rarer: space for executive teams to think clearly rather than react continuously.
Delivery not tenure
Urgency strengthens the case further. When performance deteriorates or market conditions shift suddenly, boards need leadership that can act immediately. Interim executives can be deployed within weeks and are judged on early impact. Their legitimacy rests on delivery, not tenure.
Enabling better long-term decisions
Leadership discontinuity is another frequent trigger. An unexpected executive departure can destabilise an organisation at precisely the wrong moment. An interim provides continuity without forcing a rushed permanent appointment. Just as importantly, experienced interims often help boards make better long-term hiring decisions by stabilising the business first.
Objectivity, clarity, independence
Objectivity is an underappreciated benefit. Interim executives are not embedded in internal politics, nor are they selling advisory services. They are incentivised to tell boards uncomfortable truths and to act on them. For directors seeking clarity rather than reassurance, this independence has real value.
Transferring knowledge strengthens your business
Finally, boards should consider control. Outsourcing change to consultancies can dilute accountability and leave little capability behind. Interims execute from within. They deliver results while transferring knowledge, strengthening the organisation rather than hollowing it out.
Delivering the future
None of this diminishes the importance of permanent leadership. But when the priority is speed, focus and disciplined execution, permanence can be overrated. In such moments, an interim hire is not a stopgap. For many boards, it offers the best long-term benefits available.
Nick Diprose is founding partner of Holdsway, a leading interim management firm.
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