“And the hardest part / was letting go / not taking part…” Coldplay haben bei diesem Text wahrscheinlich nicht an Interim-Manager gedacht, aber wenn ich mir meine jüngste Rolle als Interim-CFO anschaue, liegen sie goldrichtig.
The first phase of the CFO assignment was challenging - gather information, build relationships, plan out the actions, take charge - but it was also in a way straightforward.
It took me more time to become clear about its final phase.
The new CFO has arrived, is getting a thorough business grounding and is focusing on some specific topics while onboarding. Of course, there is information to transmit and advice to offer, but there is more.
Many decisions now need to be aligned, so some may now take longer; the team start to re-orient themselves. Letting go and taking a backseat seems to go against what I have worked to stand for since day one. It is - now - the right thing to do, but it’s hard.
Also, managing the end of the assignment pro-actively may feel counterintuitive. But once the incremental value I’m adding starts to become smaller, it’s time to address this topic: The eventual phase-out has always been part of the plan, and it’s better to stay in charge of this phase as well.
Bridge of Cally / Frankfurt, October 4, 2021
Dietmar
Lucilius Interim
Financial Leadership – Restructuring – Finance Upgrade & Transformation
Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash.com
