November 19, 2024

How to Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch in 3 Easy Steps

How to Perfect Your Personal Elevator Pitch in 3 Easy Steps

Melissa Harris is a newspaperwoman-turned-marketing-exec who has perfected her elevator pitch and wants to help you perfect yours as well.

InterimExecs Chief Executive Officer Robert Jordan knows that the thousands of interim and fractional executives he has spoken with over the years need this. In fact, Jordan needed it himself. So he invited Harris, CEO of M. Harris & Co. to a Zoom chat during which she offered a Master Class on how executives can be far more effective in talking about themselves.

Here’s her 3-step approach to introducing yourself in a short, powerful, memorable way.

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August 22, 2024

How the Right ERP Strategy Can Improve Your Business

How the Right ERP Strategy Can Improve Your Business

It’s a common scenario: A company invests big bucks in a massive ERP implementation only to watch the effort stall. Or worse, fail altogether.

Maybe the problem is the lack of planning or ERP software curation. Maybe it’s not thinking ahead for future needs. Or maybe it’s not having an experienced ERP implementation executive who can make that integration sing.

For all that goes into ERP implementation — ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is, after all, managing, streamlining, and tying together all essential business processes — strategizing every step should be a non-negotiable.

“ERP systems usually get replaced every seven to 10 years. I’ve been with some companies where they hadn’t replaced them for 25 years,” says Bruce Howard, an InterimExecs RED Team member and Interim CIO who has spent much of his career implementing ERP solutions.

“There’s a planning phase to bring all of the pieces together and make sure you’ve got a clear approach and clear people assigned. And then you need a methodology for the way you select systems and implement,” he says.

To better understand the components of a successful ERP implementation process and a clear look at how an ERP strategy can support business operations and better decision-making, we asked Howard and interim executives Tony DeLima and Alonso Vargas to walk us through the essential elements.

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June 20, 2024

Executive Search Services: Why Interim Executives Are Right for Fast-Growing Companies

Executive Search Services: Why Interim Executives Are Right for Fast-Growing Companies

Interim executives — experienced C-suite leaders who take on short-term roles — traditionally are found in turnaround situations, coming in to save companies on the brink. Or they are brought in to keep a company moving forward while a new permanent hire is identified and onboarded.

But there’s another leadership role that is tailor-made for an interim leader: Using their skills, experience and executive talent to guide fast-growing companies.

An experienced interim executive is the right leader for companies facing big points of change or growth. Interim and fractional executives often step in to address growing pains many organizations feel when they lack the systems and processes to scale. On the other hand, interim executives jump in as a key part of the diligence or post-acquisition integration strategy for companies and private equity firms leveraging an M&A strategy to expand.

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June 11, 2024

CFO Resignations Hit Record Highs. Who Will Fill the Role When Your CFO Leaves?

CFO Resignations Hit Record Highs. Who Will Fill the Role When Your CFO Leaves?

During the first quarter of 2024, 82 Chief Financial Officers of the biggest public companies left their jobs, tying a record set in Q1 2021. The difference between then and now? Many of the CFOs who resigned in 2021 were retiring post-pandemic. Today, many of them are taking over as CEO, COO, or some other C-suite position.

According to data reported by the management consulting firm Russel Reynolds Associates, 271 CFOs left their post as finance chief in 2023. And Russell Reynolds says that 291 new CFOs were appointed in 2023 — nearly two-thirds of them first-time CFOs.

That adds up to a huge demand for new CFOs around the globe.

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April 19, 2024

Maximizing Operational Efficiency: Interim COOs Offer Tips for Improving Process and Productivity

Maximizing Operational Efficiency: Interim COOs Offer Tips for Improving Process and Productivity

Operational efficiency. It’s the holy grail of business success. Chief Operating Officers are charged with creating operations management systems that root out inefficient processes, lower operating expenses, reduce lead times, and increase profit margins.

Two expert COOs, Steve Raack and Mike Bartikoski, are interim executives with repeated successes at mega-million-dollar corporations. They shared what they learned along the way during a wide-ranging webinar and Q&A moderated by InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan.

Key Takeaways for Maximizing Operational Efficiency

  • Streamline workflows and track the right KPIs to boost efficiency.
  • Focus on core products and processes that drive the most value.
  • Don’t rely on tech alone—people and culture matter.
  • Align company culture with a multigenerational workforce.
  • Interim COOs offer fresh, unbiased insights to drive improvement.

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March 16, 2024

The Case for Hiring Part-Time or Fractional Executives

The Case for Hiring Part-Time or Fractional Executives

As businesses grow and scale, they often face the challenge of keeping up with operational demands while maintaining strategic leadership. This is where fractional executives come in. Offering high-level expertise on a part-time or temporary basis, fractional executives provide companies with the experienced leadership they need to drive growth, streamline operations, and manage change—without the commitment or expense of full-time hires. Part-time or fractional executives provide C-suite leadership, mentorship, and the operational upgrades needed to help a company break through the ceiling to growth.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fractional executives provide rock star expertise for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. 
  • There are no overhead costs such as health insurance and severance. 
  • The flexible engagement can be scaled up or down as needed.
  • Part-time executives are the answer for companies in growth or transition mode.
  • InterimExecs fractional executives can fill leadership gaps in as little as 48 hours. 

In this webinar, InterimExecs CEO Robert Jordan takes a deep dive into the question of when choosing a part-time or fractional executive is the best choice for a company.

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September 24, 2023

What Is an Interim Executive & Is It the Right Answer for Your Company?

What Is an Interim Executive & Is It the Right Answer for Your Company?

What is an interim executive? It’s a highly knowledgeable and deeply experienced C-suite executive ready to step into a company in need of superior leadership.

As veterans of the interim business, we know that pairing the right interim executive with the right company is a delicate balance. After all, private equity funds or venture capital funds get one use of their dollar. Just one. Fund managers have a sacred charge of evaluating opportunities and investing the funds they’ve been entrusted with by their limited partners in hopes of maximum returns.

Likewise, we get one chance to make a great match. We must identify the interim executive with the right skills and experience and catch that executive during the brief period of time they are in between assignments assessing the next opportunity they want to take on.

So how do we best deploy genius leadership when we only get one chance every day to maximize everyone’s time, unique skillset, and results? We start by being selective about our clients.

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May 12, 2023

How Much Does An Interim Executive Cost?

How Much Does An Interim Executive Cost?

Once owners, board members, and investors figure out exactly what an interim is and how an interim can help, the next question is: How much does an interim executive cost?

The short answer is: There is no off-the-shelf rate card for interim execs. Or more precisely, it doesn’t exist for the best interims in the world.

The first thing to understand about interim executive costs is to know that interim and permanent executive compensation is structured differently.

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April 12, 2023
Michelle Barnes

What is an Interim Executive Director and Why Would You Want One?

Michelle Barnes | Interim CEO & RED Team Member
What is an Interim Executive Director and Why Would You Want One?

The concept of an Interim Executive Director (ED) isn’t well-known among nonprofit organizations…yet. But, it’s becoming more mainstream and for many good business reasons.

On average, it takes a Board of Directors 9 months to recruit a new Executive Director. By the time they are on-boarded and contributing, a year may have passed since the departure of the prior nonprofit leader.

While nonprofit board members may step up to “mind the gap,” the truth is that stakeholders — employees, partners, and funders — can lose confidence in your organization during this leadership transition and key employees may leave.

Organizing payroll, developing a budget and/or managing human resources may keep the lights on, but without someone filling the executive director role during the transition period, your organization can be harmed and stymied while the Board is focused on the executive search for a new ED.

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March 22, 2023

Decoding Executive Titles: The Difference Between Interim, Project, Part-Time & Fractional Executives

Decoding Executive Titles: The Difference Between Interim, Project, Part-Time & Fractional Executives

Interim, acting, project, contract, fractional, part-time. The array of executive titles can make your head spin. But they all point to a specialized type of executive that companies call on when they are going through transformation.

What is an interim executive and how does that differ from a part-time executive, a project executive, or fractional executive?

Let’s break it down.

What is an Interim Executive?

Interim executives are highly-skilled, experienced C-level executives who typically contract to work for a company for a defined period, versus full-time executives who are hired by the company. The defined period can be as little as one month or last as long as two years.

There are highly qualified interim CEOs, interim CFOs, interim COOs, interim CIOs, interim CMOs and CSOs ready to step into a position.

Why would a company choose an interim executive over a full-time executive?

There are many possible reasons, but in all cases, the company needs some kind of change or upgrade.

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