An interim manager is a highly skilled professional who is able to provide a solution to resourcing problems or to resolve corporate crises. Skills include:

• Coping with a sudden senior level departure
• Managing a merger, restructure or company disposal
• Managing functions
• Change and business development
• Leading projects
• Implementing cost and staff reductions

Usually sensibly over-qualified for the task in hand, the interim manager often has to fill a gap at quite short notice. An apt and frequently used expression comes to mind: 'hit the ground running' and this brings into play other skills such as the ability to assess a situation, to turn it around and, especially to interact with the client's own staff to gain their respect and support.Similar qualities are required of a management consultant but, in this situation, consultants will be advising clients what to do and how to do it rather than undertaking the work themselves in the way that interim managers would do.To summarise, the skill sets required to be a successful interim manager are:

• Suitably over qualified, with appropriate skills and professional experience
• Lucid communicator and able influencer
• Hands-on, well organised with good project and time management skills
• Focused and results orientated - able to deliver solutions on time
• Problem solver (not a 'difficulty stater')
• Politically and culturally aware - able to operate inside the team but outside the politics
• Skilled change manager and facilitator
• Autonomous and independent, yet a team player
• Able to coach and transfer knowledge to permanent staff