Leadership is an integral component in the success of any organization. Good leaders steer the organization in the right direction and work towards the company's vision while motivating and inspiring teams to work together towards achieving a common goal. Yet, there comes a time when individuals in leadership roles need to transition, creating a vacancy. An organization is faced with finding a suitable individual to take up the mantle, which in most cases, takes a long time. It is necessary to find a solution to fill the void to impact the delivery of services negatively.

What is Interim Leadership?

In healthcare, for example, nursing leadership is critical to driving vision and healthcare transformation. When there is a void in leadership, patients begin to bear the brunt. More patients leave the ER without being treated; employees clock more overtime hours, and metrics decline rapidly. This is where interim leadership comes in -to fill the leadership gap temporarily as you work towards hiring a permanent individual. How do you go about finding someone to fill this role? Seek out interim executive solutions that provide the right individuals to take up the leadership role immediately.

Benefits of interim leadership in healthcare

Here are some of the benefits your organization stands to gain with an interim executive.

Gaining a smooth transition

When a vacant post is created in an organization, it is common practice to fill that void with an individual already tasked with a crucial mandate within the organization leading to overburdening the individual. In most cases, they lack the leadership abilities to fill that position. To ensure that the healthcare institution carries on with its primary mandate of providing quality care, hire an interim leader with the right skills to keep clinical processes on track. They also bring a fresh perspective into the organization, which can work to improve service delivery.

Execute complex and time-consuming projects

Some organizations chose to seek interim executive solutions when they have complex projects underway. They bring fresh perspectives and ideas that allow other hospital executives to gain from the knowledge and skills brought by the individual with the right skills required for massive undertakings in a hospital.

Prepare the scene for their successors

An interim leader takes up a temporary role. An experienced interim executive will take the time to analyze the systems and find solutions to fill any gaps or fixes that will enable the transition with the incoming leader smoother. They have an outsider's view of the organization. They can evaluate how the hospital operations can be improved or changed depending on the need to enable the permanent leader to execute long term goals.
Interim leaders also allow the hospital to have adequate time to source and vet for the right person to take up the leadership role.

They can help the organization define leadership needs.

Hiring an interim executive can help a company determine the qualities they need when looking for a permanent hire. Are there any organizational needs that require an individual with a specific set of skills? Are there administrative issues involving structures that need solving? An interim executive can help the organization answer these questions and clearly define roles for future leaders.