Organizations are walking on icy terrain these days. Between evolving regulations, fickle customers, and a labor market that refuses to cooperate, it's nothing but risk and uncertainty as far as the eye can see. That, of course, makes continuity and strategic direction more crucial than ever. Unfortunately, both depend on consistent leadership at a time when the management ranks are about as whole as a block of Swiss cheese.

The result—interim leadership, especially within the finance organization, sits under an awfully bright spotlight. Over the last few years, many organizations have found themselves in uncharted territory, suddenly asking questions like:

• Who can you turn to for reliable interim leadership?
• What's the difference between interim leadership specialists and staffing agencies?
• What are the long-term benefits of choosing interim leadership over generalist staffing solutions?
• What should you expect from quality interim leadership regarding strategy, culture, disruptions, and more?

As you probably guessed, those are the types of questions we're answering today. So stick around if you're looking for some insights, best practices, and practical tips you can use to ensure you're making the right decisions to shore up your leadership gaps and set sail for success.

The Rise of Interim Leadership 

To state the obvious, interim management and leadership solutions are having a moment. The shift in labor demand post-pandemic—does the Great Resignation ring a bell?—coupled with an ongoing shortage of accounting professionals has created a domino effect, where interim leaders are no longer just stopgaps. Now, they're strategic assets. 

Current Demand for Interim Leaders 

To fully grasp what the accountant shortage, the Great Resignation, the after-effects of the pandemic, and all of the other dynamics at play have done to the market for interim leadership, you only need to glance at a few mind-boggling statistics from a recent report:

• Demand for interim CFOs jumped by 46% in 2023
• Demand for on-demand audit, accounting, and financial controls increased 33% in 2023
• Demand for on-demand FP&A and financial modeling experience grew 28% in 2023

And then there's this one—demand for interim director, vice president, and senior vice president-level finance professionals like controllers and heads of FP&A exploded by 114% in 2023. So what, exactly, is going on? That can't all stem from the pandemic and accountant shortage, right? We already took a deep dive into the underlying dynamics so we won't repeat ourselves today. Suffice it to say, however, that it's not just staff accountants feeling overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated these days. 

As a result, many seasoned executives have sought the comforting embrace of early retirement or career changes, leaving organizations scrambling to fill critical leadership roles. Add a growing preference for flexible and remote work, and you've got a recipe for a unique brand of chaos that's leaving entire industries—we're looking at you, healthcare and financial services—in a pickle for the ages.

Therefore, companies are increasingly turning to interim talent to plug these massive leadership gaps, not out of desperation, but as a strategic move, at least when they turn to capable solution providers. Choose the right specialists and your interim leaders will come equipped to navigate everything from compliance intricacies to complex financial landscapes, bringing a level of agility and expertise that staffing agencies simply can't match.

Defining Interim Leadership and Its Scope 

Before jumping further into the intricacies of interim leadership, however, let's level-set first by defining the term itself. Simply put, interim leadership involves bringing in highly skilled and experienced professionals on a temporary basis to fill critical executive roles.

But don't be fooled by the word "temporary" in this case. Interim leaders are not just stopgaps or band-aids; instead, they're seasoned pros who dive headfirst into complex situations and start making impactful decisions from day one, filling key roles and responsibilities like:

• CEO / CFO: These top-tier leadership positions see significant action in the interim space, especially during sudden vacancies. Whether during a merger, acquisition, or a sudden departure, interim CEOs and CFOs—and the rest of the C-suite, to a lesser extent—provide steady hands at the wheel. 
• Financial Controllers: Often stepping in to manage the nuances of financial compliance, reporting, and audits. They ensure that the financial ship remains steady and on course. 
• Department Heads: Be it Human Resources, Operations, or IT, interim department heads can skillfully oversee critical functional areas, driving initiatives that align with overarching business goals.

In practice, such genuine interim leadership roles provide, among other key capabilities:

• Operational Continuity: Without qualified accountants, routine financial operations can come to a grinding halt, causing a ripple effect throughout the organization. Interim financial leaders step in to keep things running smoothly, ensuring there's no lapse in critical financial reporting and compliance. 
• Strategic Guidance: Beyond keeping the lights on, these interim professionals bring in-depth knowledge and skills that help organizations align their financial strategies with overall business objectives. This dual focus on immediate action and long-term planning can be invaluable in turbulent times. 
• Transition Management: Lastly, it's tough to overstate the value of these interim positions in managing transitions. They help bridge the gap while finding, training, or bringing permanent leaders up to speed, ensuring the business doesn't skip a beat. 

Long story short—interim leadership is on the rise for a reason. The shifting dynamics in executive staffing, magnified by the ongoing accountant shortage, mean organizations need the right leader, right now.

Interim Executive Leadership vs. Traditional Staffing

Now, let's talk about choices. Or, more specifically, how standard staffing solutions might focus on quickly filling a vacancy, whereas authentic interim leadership goes several steps further and in several key areas:

Strategic Impact Over Speed and Simple Substitution 

• Strategic Problem-Solvers: Once again, companies bring in interim leaders to solve specific problems, not just to keep the seat warm. Have a new product to launch? Facing a sudden market disruption? An interim executive has likely navigated these waters before and can provide immediate, short-term, actionable insights while maintaining a long-term, strategic perspective.
• Experience and Expertise: These aren't garden-variety temps. In fact, they're not temps at all, at least how most people define the term. Interim executives often come with decades of experience and niche expertise. Thus, they can dive straight into the deep end and start swimming in your industry's waters with speed and precision. 
• Rapid Integration: Interim executives not only hit the ground running but require minimal onboarding. Their ability to quickly integrate into the existing team and start making decisions is a game-changer. 
• Customized Fit: Interim leaders are meticulously selected to match the organization's specific needs, culture, and strategic goals. They're like tailored suits—they fit perfectly, look sharp, and make you feel confident.
• Cultural Chameleons: These leaders are flexible in their interim roles and integrate seamlessly into your company's culture. Their ability to blend in and work effectively with existing groups and team members ensures a smoother transition and greater acceptance by staff. 

To put some of these benefits into a real-world context, qualified and experienced interim leaders from reliable solution providers—like Embark—can lead you through choppy seas like:

• Crisis Management: Unforeseen crises require swift and effective leadership. Interim leaders excel in these high-pressure situations.
• Major Transitions: From mergers and acquisitions to significant restructuring, transformation initiatives to footprint expansion, interim leaders ensure smooth transitions without missing a beat.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, interim leadership is obviously far from a mere placeholder solution. It's a strategic choice that offers specialized skills, immediate impact, and unparalleled flexibility.

In a world where every decision counts, an interim leader bridges the management gap and drives your organization forward, ensuring you're not just surviving but thriving during periods of change. Like it or not, most traditional staffing solutions fall short in these areas, bringing some unwanted consequences to your operations along for the ride.

The Case for Strategic Interim Hiring By Industry 

As we said earlier, some industries have been hit particularly hard by leadership gaps, and at the worst possible time. Healthcare and financial services—especially portfolio companies and PE CFOs—are among the most affected. Between regulations, consumer expectations, labor market challenges, and the endless list of other sources of risk and uncertainty, the need for interim leadership is far more acute in these sectors.

Interim Leadership in Healthcare 

Navigating the complexities of the healthcare industry requires more than just textbook knowledge and good intentions. High turnover rates, patient care crises, and the need for continuous improvement all demand specific expertise that, at the risk of sounding repetitive,  generalist staffing agencies often fail to provide.

• Regulatory Compliance: Healthcare is full of rules and regulations. Interim healthcare executives come in knowing exactly what needs to be done to keep things compliant, avoid fines, and protect reputations.
• Crisis Management and Patient Care Continuity: Whether a sudden leadership gap or a health crisis, interim leaders keep patient care steady and operations running smoothly.
• Specialized Knowledge and Expertise: These leaders often have deep experience in specific areas like hospital admin or healthcare IT, handling challenges that come with each.
• Transformational Change: From mergers to new care models, interim healthcare leaders manage big changes, improving patient outcomes and operations without skipping a beat.
• Managing Workforce Shortages: With constant shortages—especially in nursing—interim leaders step in quickly to ensure there's enough staff to meet patient needs.
• Financial Management and Cost Control: A hallmark of interim leadership in healthcare organizations is sharp financial management skills, including the ability to optimize budgets and control costs to keep the organization financially healthy.
• Enhancing Patient Experience and Care Quality: Interim leaders focus on enhancing patient experience, reducing wait times, and improving satisfaction, all crucial for reputation and finances.
• Adapting to Technological Advances: As healthcare tech evolves, interim leaders guide the adoption of new tools like telemedicine and AI, making sure they're effectively integrated into patient care.

Interim Leadership in Financial Services

The financial services sector—particularly the PortCo segment—is grappling with significant leadership gaps thanks to endlessly evolving regulations and market disruptions. Interim leaders in this industry are crucial for maintaining financial accuracy, timely reporting, and strategic forecasting, helping consistently steer the organization toward its goals.

• Regulatory Compliance: Financial services are heavily regulated. Interim leaders bring the expertise to manage such requirements efficiently, avoiding costly penalties and ensuring compliance.
• Crisis Management: From market disruptions to cyber threats, interim leaders effectively handle crises, maintaining stability and protecting the organization's assets.
• Strategic Financial Planning: Interim leaders, particularly PE CFOs, provide strategic planning and insights into financial planning, risk management, and investment strategies. They play a key role in moving from descriptive and diagnostic analysis to predictive analytics without a hitch, ensuring more accurate financial projections.
• Tech Integration: With the rise of fintech, interim leaders can oversee the integration of new technologies to enhance operational efficiency and customer service.
• Performance Improvement: They identify areas for cost reduction and efficiency gains, driving overall performance improvement.
• Leadership Transition: Interim leaders ensure smooth transitions during leadership changes, maintaining strategic direction and the continuity​​ so critical for a consistent client experience.

We know what you're saying—most of the points we just made fall under the jurisdiction of permanent, full-time leadership. And you're absolutely right. But that's the point, isn't it? Interim leaders are just that—leaders. The "interim" moniker simply speaks to their tenure length, not their expertise or experience.

In the end, your organization shouldn't shouldn't skip a bit with interim leaders. It should still aim high. Reach for the stars. Climb every mountain. In other words, interim leadership shouldn't be an excuse to let your foot off of the strategic gas pedal. Because they're qualified, experienced leaders through and through, people who understand your industry and what it takes to be successful.

Next Steps: Finding the Right Interim Leaders

Our intention today hasn't been to dump a massive vat of water on traditional staffing solutions—far from it. Those providers definitely have their time and place. It's just that those times and places probably shouldn't involve your organization's leadership ranks.

So, where does that leave you and your need to fill those problematic leadership gaps? Well, you start with finding the ideal solution provider and go from there. Fortunately, that's exactly what Embark is—the ideal partner to ensure your operations don't miss a beat as you search for a permanent leader.

At Embark, we understand your industry—we're not generalists. We get you, what you face every day, and the unique challenges that hurdles like the Great Resignation and accountant crunch have caused. Ultimately, we're the right partner to help you through this critical transition, so let's talk and fill those leadership gaps today. You have mountains to climb.