The choice between prioritizing what calls for technical skills (hard skills) or behavioral qualities (soft skills) when it comes to recruiting an interim manager does not follow an established rule. If we wanted to venture a comparison with a vehicle, we could say that hard skills are the driving force and soft skills are the driver. However, in order to move forward, both are necessary… Just as technical and behavioural qualities are inseparable from a professional profile.
What can we expect from hard skills?
These skills include the experience gained through the various positions held subsequently, the knowledge of the sector in which the interim manager operates, and his or her ability to master the tools and methodologies specific to your industry. Also, the more complex technical challenges or particular areas of expertise the mission in question involve, the more hard skills prove to be a key factor in the choice of the interim manager. However, some highly technical missions involve behavioral qualities that are just as valuable for the success of the mission. But how do we judge the latter?
Which soft skills should be preferred?
Soft skills are when we refer to character traits that generate predispositions in a professional context. For example: effective communication, a sense of leadership, a particular ease in managing change and conflict resolution. They also refer to what is known as emotional intelligence. It is therefore the very content of the mission that will justify favouring one or another quality. An ability to ease tensions, to lead a team, an ability to energize employees, to show diplomacy or authority do not necessarily call for the same predispositions. It is therefore necessary to identify what is really expected of the recruited personality.
Qualities that are sometimes difficult to identify
A tricky question remains: how do you uncover the inherent qualities of a personality without knowing it? During interviews, candidates are generally used to “giving the change” and know how to offer the best profile of themselves. On the other hand, a recruiter cannot ignore his own preconceptions and will often form a quick opinion of his interlocutor, according to his “feeling” and therefore a great deal of subjectivity. That’s where the GRItm method comes into play. Based on an elaborate reading grid, it offers the most accurate portrait possible of a candidate’s behavioural qualities and can therefore serve as a solid basis for judging their potential and gauging their behavioural abilities. In addition to being GRI referenced, Manag-In offers companies that wish to do so the GRI+ service. It allows you to be supported in the choice of the most suitable interim manager, if the need arises to use an external vision and a well-thought-out argument to form a decisive opinion.
The characteristics of interim managers
Whatever the nature of the issues and the company that calls on them, there are qualities common to all interim managers. They are required to be able to adapt quickly to their new environment, understand the issues they face, make sound decisions and mobilize, without coercion, teams to carry out their mission.
Gérard Arnaud , Patrice Hournon , Bruno Blaser
Co-founders of Manag-in
