There is something quite unusual about interim work.
You join an organisation knowing that, at some point, you're going to leave it again. That changes how I think about the work from the very beginning.
Of course, I'm there to deliver something. There will be objectives, deadlines and outcomes I'm accountable for. Often, I've been brought in because the organisation is navigating a period of change, facing a particular challenge or simply needs additional experience and capacity for a time. But completing the project has never felt like the only measure of success to me. I also think about what will be left behind when I'm no longer there.
Clarity where there was complexity
Interim assignments often begin with a lot of moving parts. Different priorities. Different perspectives. Decisions that haven't yet been made. Decisions that have been made but perhaps aren't fully understood. And sometimes a problem that looks quite different once you get underneath it.
Part of my role is to bring structure to that complexity.
By the time I leave, I want people to understand not only what has changed, but why decisions were made and what happens next.
Managers who feel better equipped
During organisational change, managers are often expected to carry an enormous amount.
They're supporting their teams while processing the change themselves. They're answering questions when they may not have all the answers. And they're frequently the people who determine how an organisation's plans are actually experienced day to day.
I don't want managers to feel capable only because I'm standing beside them. I want them to leave the project with more confidence, better tools and greater capability to handle the conversations and challenges that come afterwards.
Knowledge that stays in the organisation
There's very little value in an interim becoming the only person who knows how something works. Whether I've introduced a process, developed a framework, supported a leadership team or helped deliver organisational change, I want the knowledge behind it to stay with the organisation.
That means involving people rather than simply doing things for them. Because eventually, the project ends, but the organisation still needs to work.
Relationships that can carry the change forward
Some of the most important work during an assignment won't appear on a project plan. It's building trust quickly. Understanding where influence really sits. Creating space for difficult conversations. Connecting people who need to work together.
An organisation that doesn't need me anymore
Perhaps that's the strange thing about doing interim work well. Part of the job is to make yourself unnecessary. I want there to be things people miss when I leave: the perspective I brought, the challenge, the support, perhaps even the occasional difficult question. But I don't want progress to depend on me still being there.
I want the organisation to have the clarity, capability, tools and confidence to take the next stage forward itself.
A good interim should leave a gap when they go. But they shouldn't leave a dependency.
And for me, that's one of the most satisfying measures of a successful assignment.