The organization was a non-profit that operates more equally for a profit. At that time their problems were spread throughout the organizational structure. Senior managers were concerned about keeping the business alive. They struggled to find the right person to be the new CEO and knew of the existence of many issues but were unable to point to or address them.
This non-profit organization was in dire need of timely and skilled leadership talent. This was the talent he tried to find with a CEO hire that did not go as expected, and the position was open again. The right kind of talent is something that can take a long time to find. The executive may then have on-boarding or training to speed it up. In his position, the demand for leadership was a quick and low-risk decision.
The nonprofit hired our interim CEO. He began reviewing the budget and reducing all expenses that were not necessary. They then adjusted the management structure so that department heads were assigned more responsibility and shifted to understanding the entire organizational culture and being part of the bigger picture.
Nonprofits also needed to change how they got closer to new technologies and use them. The Interim CEO revised the software management and organized the new smartphone app. He also improved external communications and opened a new off-site call center.
He anticipated that there should be a decrease in operating staff and an increase in marketing staff – which, once implemented, proved a good sales decision.
The results of the interim CEO’s engagement were:
The board said it was “hard to believe” how quickly and easily the new interim CEO transitioned. They implemented economical, technological, cultural and operational changes that resulted in maintaining and even improving large nonprofit businesses; All of which happened within just six months. The board decided to offer a long-term role as an interim CEO with the company.
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