July 9, 2025

Leading Through the Fire: When Crisis Hits Your Bottom Line and Sears Your Soul

Imagine your business, a $200 million operation, vanishing overnight. Not a slow decline. Not a market shift. A sudden, devastating wipeout. That’s the reality Paul Hardy faced. He’s a seasoned executive who found himself at the epicenter of an avian flu outbreak in 2022.

Ultimately, the company, one of the biggest producers in the country, destroyed more than 5 million birds.

In eight days.

This isn’t just a story about managing in a crisis; it’s a masterclass in leadership, resilience, and the human cost of extraordinary decisions.

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July 8, 2025

When Should You Bring in an Interim CIO?

In today’s digital-first economy, the demands on IT leadership are immediate, complex, and high-stakes. Whether it’s leading a large-scale ERP rollout, navigating a merger, or shoring up cybersecurity, your organization can’t afford delays in critical IT decision-making.

That’s where a top-tier interim CIO can make all the difference. But how do you know it’s the right time to bring one in?

Below are the most common scenarios when engaging a part-time or temporary CIO is not just helpful, but necessary.

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July 8, 2025

What is a Fractional Executive? How CEOs, CFOs, and COOs Go Part-Time for Big Impact

Fractional executives — including fractional CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and CIOs — are the hottest thing in the C-suite. What started as a niche workaround has gone mainstream, with companies from fast-scaling startups to Fortune 500s tapping part-time leaders for big-impact roles.

These aren’t consultants or advisors — they’re deeply embedded executives, delivering high-level strategy, leadership, and results without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

But what exactly is a fractional executive? How is this different from an interim or outsourced solution? And when does it make sense to go fractional in the first place?

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July 7, 2025

The Reverse Elevator Speech: The Essential 60-Second Secret Every Interim Leader Must Master

Hans Lagerweij | Growth Architect

“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.”

— Albert Einstein

Most leaders know the power of an elevator pitch — that concise, compelling speech you’d give the CEO if you found yourself sharing an elevator. But what about when the tables turn? What if it’s your job, as a leader, to share your vision with your team?

Enter the reverse elevator speech — the 30-to-60-second message every leader needs to master.

The reverse elevator speech is particularly relevant for interim professionals as it enables rapid alignment and impactful engagement. Interims can swiftly grasp an organization’s core challenges and, by articulating the company’s problem and their proposed solution concisely, immediately gain executive buy-in and establish their value. This approach cuts through complexity, fosters quick consensus for change initiatives, and frames the interim’s role as a direct solution provider from day one.

What Is a Reverse Elevator Speech?

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June 30, 2025

When and How to Divest: A Guide to Strategic Spin-Offs and Carve-Outs

The strategic playbook of most companies focuses on growth through mergers and acquisitions. But that focus on M&A deals overlooks one of the most powerful tools in their arsenal: a clear, proactive divestiture strategy. The strategic shedding of underperforming assets can be a robust engine for value creation and an essential component of dynamic portfolio management for boards, C-suite executives, and private equity funds.

“While there’s plenty of evidence to suggest divestitures can create more value for shareholders than acquisitions, only about 30% of S&P 500 firms engage in them annually,” says Emilie Feldman, professor of management at Wharton and author of Divestitures: Creating Value Through Strategy, Structure, and Implementation.

This underutilization, she posits, is partly due to a psychological bias: “M&A is associated with positive terms like ‘growth’ and ‘opportunity,’ while divestitures are linked to negative terms like ‘failing’ and ‘lagging.'”

Overcoming this misperception is critical to unlocking substantial enterprise value.

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June 27, 2025

What is the Role of an Interim CIO? 5 Common Use Cases

In today’s fast-moving, tech-driven business environment, the role of the CIO is more critical — and more complex — than ever. Whether your organization is navigating digital transformation, merger integration, or large-scale ERP system upgrades, an Interim Chief Information Officer (CIO) can deliver immediate, strategic value without adding long-term overhead.

(Learn more about our Interim CIO Services and Fractional CIO Services here.)

Unlike consultants or rising IT managers, a seasoned interim CIO brings deep operational and leadership experience. These executives are not only capable of taking on the same responsibilities as a permanent CIO, but they also offer a focused lens on change, transformation, and rapid results.

Here are 5 common use cases where an interim CIO can be a powerful asset to tackle high-impact technology initiatives, IT leadership gap coverage, or specialized project execution:

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June 26, 2025

Fractional vs. Interim Executives: What Are the Differences and Which is the Right Path?

Interim and fractional leadership lies at the intersection of leadership gaps and the gig economy. They are the answer to the challenges organizations face in today’s dynamic business landscape. But what are the differences between the two approaches and which one is right for your organization? And which is the right future career path for you as a high-level executive?

Let’s break it down.

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June 13, 2025

Top 5 Qualities of a Great Interim CIO

When technology stalls or transformation fails, it’s rarely because of tools or code. More often, the root issue is leadership — misaligned, ineffective, or stuck in the weeds.

That’s where interim CIOs step in. The best ones don’t just manage systems. They stabilize teams, reset direction, and accelerate outcomes — often under immense pressure and tight timelines.

At InterimExecs, we work with elite interim leaders across the globe through our RED Team. We sat down with some of our top-performing interim and fractional CIOs to understand what separates the good from the truly great.

Here’s what we found:

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June 11, 2025

Leadership Accountability Isn’t What You Think: What Interim and Fractional Execs Must Get Right

In the world of interim and fractional executives, there’s no room for fluff. You’re dropped into a company mid-crisis, mid-turnaround, or mid-transformation. You’re expected to hit the ground sprinting—not just running.

So let’s talk about the word that gets tossed around like confetti but is often completely misunderstood: accountability.

We sat down with Sam Silverstein, founder of Sam Silverstein Enterprises and the Accountability Institute, and author of multiple books on leadership and culture, to unpack what accountability actually means—and why it matters more than ever for executives who lead without long-term guarantees.

Spoiler alert: It’s not about barking orders or micromanaging from the corner office.

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June 10, 2025

Interim COO Success Story: How He Unlocked Millions in Operational Improvements at a National Food Manufacturer

When a national deli meat manufacturer faced declining yields, equipment inconsistencies, and looming leadership turnover, they called in a seasoned interim COO from InterimExecs’ RED Team to get operations back on track.

Michael Bartikoski, a veteran operations executive with deep roots in food manufacturing, stepped into the role with three goals: stabilize operations, improve yields, and build the next generation of leadership.

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