Taking The Corporate Shilling

Making the decision to “take the kings shilling” effectively meant to become the king’s man – to eschew all of your decisions and role in life to that point. When one considers it in the context of interim management versus a permanent role it becomes slightly less dramatic yet nonetheless interesting.

Now that the corporate world has got a firm grip on what being an interim manager actually means, the experienced interim with plentiful assignments behind his or her back is a prized commodity. Therefore after many years as a successful interim, why would one choose to opt back into a permanent role?

An eminent HR professional, Stephen Hall has spent much of his career working at Board level on an international basis. In July 1995 he made the decision to use his skills and knowledge in a different way and thus developed a second career as an interim manager.

Within this environment he thrived, taking on large scale roles within complex organisations, injecting efficiency and reaping better results for a variety of FTSE 350 Companies. However this changed when an interim assignment for Metronet (a consortium of five international companies, charged with upgrading, replacing and maintaining two-thirds of London Underground’s infrastructure under a thirty year PPP contract) turned into a permanent role.

Objectivity and the benefit of being an outsider are often identified as key factors in ensuring that interim managers have the personal impact to deliver. Therefore, taking a permanent role can be viewed as tantamount to losing this detachment. Also, not remaining an interim until (and sometimes beyond) retirement can be seen as misunderstanding how the industry functions i.e. just seeing interim as a short break rather than a substantive career option.

This scenario does not apply to Stephen. In 2005 he made a decision to take a permanent position at Metronet and is relishing the challenge that it presents. His initial role as an interim was Head of Human Resources and Admin for the Asset Renewal part of the organisation. He was then offered the role of Vice President, Human Resources covering Asset Renewal, Engineering and Safety and Corporate Support Services, covering some 2500 employees.

He sees returning to interim as being an option in the long term, but at the moment his Vice President role is playing to his strengths. In his view “talented interims will often have plenty of offers of permanent roles arriving at their door. However you need to be pragmatic about what each one means and how it will impact upon the development of your CV and interim career.”

Stephen has clearly managed his interim career brilliantly. He secured assignments that used his strongest skills and offered him the opportunity to implement real change in organisations. Joining Metronet permanently was something that he did for the right reasons. His proactive approach to interim meant that his decision to take the corporate shilling centred entirely upon Metronet’s pull factors rather than the push of Interim Management and as long as these factors remain in place, he will continue in the role.

Making the decision to “take the kings shilling” effectively meant to become the king’s man – to eschew all of your decisions and role in life to that point. When one considers it in the context of interim management versus a permanent role it becomes slightly less dramatic yet nonetheless interesting.

Now that the corporate world has got a firm grip on what being an interim manager actually means, the experienced interim with plentiful assignments behind his or her back is a prized commodity. Therefore after many years as a successful interim, why would one choose to opt back into a permanent role?

An eminent HR professional, Stephen Hall has spent much of his career working at Board level on an international basis. In July 1995 he made the decision to use his skills and knowledge in a different way and thus developed a second career as an interim manager.

Within this environment he thrived, taking on large scale roles within complex organisations, injecting efficiency and reaping better results for a variety of FTSE 350 Companies. However this changed when an interim assignment for Metronet (a consortium of five international companies, charged with upgrading, replacing and maintaining two-thirds of London Underground’s infrastructure under a thirty year PPP contract) turned into a permanent role.

Objectivity and the benefit of being an outsider are often identified as key factors in ensuring that interim managers have the personal impact to deliver. Therefore, taking a permanent role can be viewed as tantamount to losing this detachment. Also, not remaining an interim until (and sometimes beyond) retirement can be seen as misunderstanding how the industry functions i.e. just seeing interim as a short break rather than a substantive career option.

This scenario does not apply to Stephen. In 2005 he made a decision to take a permanent position at Metronet and is relishing the challenge that it presents. His initial role as an interim was Head of Human Resources and Admin for the Asset Renewal part of the organisation. He was then offered the role of Vice President, Human Resources covering Asset Renewal, Engineering and Safety and Corporate Support Services, covering some 2500 employees.

He sees returning to interim as being an option in the long term, but at the moment his Vice President role is playing to his strengths. In his view “talented interims will often have plenty of offers of permanent roles arriving at their door. However you need to be pragmatic about what each one means and how it will impact upon the development of your CV and interim career.”

Stephen has clearly managed his interim career brilliantly. He secured assignments that used his strongest skills and offered him the opportunity to implement real change in organisations. Joining Metronet permanently was something that he did for the right reasons. His proactive approach to interim meant that his decision to take the corporate shilling centred entirely upon Metronet’s pull factors rather than the push of Interim Management and as long as these factors remain in place, he will continue in the role.

Stephen is therefore eager to emphasise the role that ethics should play in the relationship between interim manager and the provider. There are many stories around concerning providers not paying Interim Managers for work that has been undertaken or extending credit periods. In essence, both parties are entering into a contractual relationship, however this will only progress smoothly if there is sufficient support to the payment and clerical process. Therefore he advises that interim managers should ask about a provider’s administrative function, guaranteed payment terms and financial standing.

There are several hundred firms in the UK stating that they are interim providers but only a small proportion can really substantiate that claim. In essence, it comes back to the professional service that is offered and delivered. Members of the Interim Management Association (IMA), the Trade Body for the interim management industry, can be regarded as substantive practitioners. The IMA ensures that all of its members operate to a code of practice and that the assignments they handle are bona fide Interim Management roles rather than consultancy, contractor or temporary employee.

Similarly, Stephen senses that there can be an element of overselling within the provider/ client relationship. The realistic impact that any individual can have within a set timeframe is clearly limited therefore correct scoping of a project is essential. Even if someone is a phenomenal interim manager, he or she is not a miracle worker even though many have been asked to ‘walk on water’. There have to be clear terms of reference drawn up between the client, the provider and the interim manager about what the outcomes of the assignment will be within a set period of time and regular dialogue through the length of the assignment.

There also has to be regular channels of communication between all three to ensure that appropriate progress is being made. Reaching the end of a complex programme of work should not be the point at which it is realised that the outcomes do not line up with the corporate plan. The terms of reference need to be ‘signed-off’ at the end to ensure closure for the interim and the client and a formal, final review should be de rigeur. Stephen points out that one’s reputation as an interim manager can be made or broken by one assignment. Essentially, there must be no scope within the process for finger pointing should something go wrong. Therefore you need to be sure that your interim provider will give you a full, professional service rather than simply take a fee for showing a client your CV.

It is easy to see how the corporate shilling can be such an attractive proposition. Being an interim manager is a difficult task and if one attempts it without proper support and forethought, it could be an unpleasant experience. Stephen, however, is keen to emphasise that this wasn’t the case for him. He found that the challenge of being dropped into a new organisational environment and really having an impact within such a short space of time is tremendous.

For Stephen, Metronet is not about the corporate shilling but rather about a great opportunity. It might be that a permanent role seems to be an attractive proposition should your interim career not develop as one would hope. However, it would appear that there are considerations that could change your mind, dependent upon the sustainability and longevity of the corporate challenge within a senior permanent role.