The expression “Holding down the Fort” is an idiom that literally means to take care of something or a place while someone else is away or busy. That’s a great description of exactly what Interim Managers do, they step in and run a company or business while the usual Owner/Manager is away for any reason, providing expertise and leadership until a permanent replacement is found or the original manager returns. Often, they are called in to manage specific projects or implement change, essentially, they are hired to provide short-term solutions to critical business challenges. These professional executives have plenty of experience and knowledge of specific Industries and are more than capable of stepping into a managerial role and leading the loyal team of staff who are left behind to keep the company running and even encourage it to grow. Many of these well-educated and intelligent Interim Managers have chosen to belong to the UK’s only professional body for independent professionals such as https://iim.org.uk/, a not-for-profit organisation that is a fully independent professional body.
By utilizing their own unique, individual, specialist skills and experience they help the company to achieve immediate results within a defined timeframe. They are not normally intended to stay in each position for an extended period of time, only for the duration needed to address the specific issue at hand. Interim managers are highly experienced executives with specialised expertise in a particular area, like operations, finance, or change management.