We Are All Interim Leaders: Embrace It!

We Are All Interim Leaders: Embrace It!

Dorothy Sisneros, M.S.,M.B.A.
Partner & SVP, Client Services, Language of Caring, LLC

Over the years, I have heard many people say, “We are passionate about wanting to make this change, but it’s not the right time because we have interim leadership.  We need to wait for our permanent CEO…our permanent CNO…” and the like.

While I certainly understand how people want to make sure they have leaders who will see initiatives through, it strikes me as an illusion that there is such a thing as a “permanent leader” coming.

Having been engaged in healthcare for more than 30 years, I have seen “permanent leaders” come and go, just as I have seen “interim leaders” stay for years.  The tenure for senior level leaders, especially the CEO, is less than 3.5 years and when the CEO leaves involuntarily, the rest of the senior team leaves within 9-10 months.  This leaves the organization appointing a new set of interim leaders and the search for a new permanent leader starts again – what I call churn.

I believe we are ALL interim leaders and there is no such thing as a permanent leader.  And I believe further that feeling transitory does not have to mean we have to be place-holders.  Instead, I believe the realization that we are all transitory could motivate us to make our mark NOW when we have the chance. Read full article HERE.