In industries across the spectrum, interim leadership has become an emerging trend for businesses without the resources or needs for a full-time executive. The healthcare industry is especially latching onto this trend.
And here’s why.
Why Healthcare & Interim Leadership Is a Match Made in Heaven
1. Accommodates to “lean staffing” trend.
Healthcare leaders have favored “lean staffing” in recent years. They are seeking highly credible, yet flexible executive talent to see them through crucial transitional periods.
Interim leadership brings the mentorship and expertise of a full-time executive, without the long-term commitment.
Whether on the admin or medical side, interim executives support staff to promote success. And as a result, this partnership leads to a more positive patient experience.
What’s more, most interim leaders are not constrained by a specific department. They are therefore comfortable working in a spectrum of capacities throughout an organization.
2. More than just leadership consultancy.
First and foremost, interim leaders are not consultants. They integrate as part of the team, sitting at the table with fellow executives to make real, actionable change.
Today’s business environment is in need of exceptional leadership more than ever. And better yet, interim leadership fits the bill without the costly sticker price.
A business would hire a consultant on the basis of advising, whereas interim leaders are hired for a specific purpose. And that purpose is either to fill a transitional gap, increase workforce bandwidth or work on a part-time basis. Interim leaders are particularly useful during an expansion, merger or acquisition.
3. Quickly adaptable to organizational culture.
Interim leaders are experienced professionals, so their learning curve is much shorter. They can actually hit the ground running.
An interim leader will work quickly and efficiently to adapt to a new corporate culture. Even better, they typically already have many years of doing so.
Sometimes, an interim executive comes in during a gap in the leadership team. So, it can be especially helpful to have them join the team before the departure of the outgoing team member. As a result, this can reduce the adjustment period significantly.
4. Targeted focus per project.
As they’re hired for specific purposes or periods of time, interim leaders maintain an exceptional level of focus.
Plus, as they are not long-time employees, they spend less time worrying about office politics and greater energy on tackling the job at hand. Their primary focus is working within a timeline and budget. And when a job is done, they leave the business set for success. Once again, if the end result is helping patients in the best ways possible, it’s a success all around.
Healthcare is a fast-moving industry. So, gaps in leadership can mean the difference between life or death. It’s critical to keep things moving and keep up with the rising demand and pace required of healthcare providers.
Interim leaders can provide a fresh, dynamic perspective to bring about necessary changes to an organization.
In addition to the technical skills of the role, interim leaders are also masters at adapting and have decades of executive leadership experience.
We Can Help
Is your organization going through a period of transition? Do you need an extra set of hands on deck? Our Leadership Services cater to a host of different circumstances:
- Surge CIO — when the workload exceeds current executive technology leadership capabilities
- Fractional CIO — Full-service technology executive at a fraction of the cost
- Gap CIO — leadership during crucial transitions within the leadership team
Contact us here to learn more!