People are at the heart of every business

Every organisation knows that an employee calling in sick comes at a cost. Someone has to take over their work; deadlines get pushed back and colleagues have to put in extra hours. But the real cost often lies elsewhere: in the atmosphere in the workplace, in the gradual decline in quality, and in colleagues who pick up the slack until they eventually burn out themselves.

Even more insidious is the phenomenon known as presenteeism: people who turn up for work despite being ill, exhausted or stressed. They are physically present, but not really there. They make decisions more slowly, make more mistakes and pass on their stress to those around them. Several studies suggest that these hidden losses can be many times greater than those associated with traditional absenteeism.

Of course, not everything can be prevented. People inevitably get ill from time to time. But there is one factor organisations can influence, and it starts at the top.

Stress: a business risk, not a private matter

People who experience less stress are less likely to fall ill and tend to be absent for shorter periods. This may sound obvious, but it has far-reaching implications for how we think about performance.

Stress can come from many sources: financial worries, relationship problems, uncertainty about the future or a body that has been running on empty for months. People under pressure recover less effectively, think less clearly and become irritable more easily. Creativity and flexibility are the first qualities to disappear. Yet these are precisely the skills organisations need when markets shift, or restructuring is on the agenda.

The reverse is also true. A calm mind sees more possibilities. It can think outside the box or stay firmly within the boundaries when necessary. And it is better equipped to deal with change.

Leadership sets the tone

Organisations looking to reduce stress are best advised to start with their leadership. A calm leader makes better decisions. And that sense of calm filters down through every level of the organisation. Employees feel it, even when nobody says a word.

We all know what happens when the boss is in a bad mood: within an hour, the whole team knows about it. Meetings become shorter, questions go unasked and mistakes are hidden rather than shared. But the reverse is equally true. When leadership is stable and clear, everyone notices that too. People feel confident enough to take initiative and raise problems at an early stage.

Marguerite Taillieu, Principal at Robert Walters and expert in interim management recruitment, explains: “Leaders act as a kind of thermostat. They determine not only the direction, but also the temperature in which work gets done.”

Why this matters even more in interim management

An interim manager rarely walks into an organisation during a quiet period. A senior leader has become unavailable, a transformation has stalled, an acquisition needs to be brought to a successful conclusion or a department has been operating in crisis mode for months. Pressure is high, the team is often exhausted and trust has taken a knock.

In this context, the tone set by an interim manager is at least as important as the plan they bring with them. An interim leader who is under pressure themselves risks increasing the tension. Someone who arrives with calm and clarity gives the team the space it needs to catch its breath again. Only then can the energy required for meaningful change be unlocked.

“Organisations often ask us about experience and results, and rightly so,” says Marguerite Taillieu. “But what really makes the difference in those first few weeks is how someone comes in. Do they bring calm, or do they add another layer of stress to a team that is already running on empty?”

More than just a CV

That is why, when selecting interim managers, we look beyond job titles and references. Professional expertise is the foundation, but we also need to understand how someone performs under pressure. How do they deal with resistance? With uncertainty? With a team that never asked for change in the first place?

“Strong interim managers know how to protect their own boundaries,” says Marguerite Taillieu. “They maintain perspective when needed and don't get swept up in the panic of the day. That is precisely what enables them to make difficult decisions without putting the organisation under additional strain.”

During our conversations, we therefore explore aspects that don't appear on a CV:

• How someone experienced previous crisis situations, not just what the outcome was.

• How they manage to recharge and stay sharp during demanding assignments.

• How the team responded when the interim manager left.

The last point is particularly revealing. “A good interim manager leaves an organisation stronger and calmer than when they arrived,” says Marguerite. “Not a team that simply breathes a sigh of relief because the storm has passed.”

It starts at the top

Strategy, systems and processes are important. But ultimately, it is people who bring a business to life. And how those people feel depends to a large extent on who leads them.

Is your organisation facing a period of change or increased pressure? When choosing an interim manager, it pays to look beyond what someone can do and consider the energy they bring to the organisation.

Would you like to discuss this further? Please don't hesitate to contact us or book an exploratory meeting with our interim management consultants.