Management's Antidote to Turbulent Times

Two associates and I had multiple conversations last year about the many successes (and some failures) that we had both experienced and heard about in our various interim assignments.

Yet we regularly met with skepticsm from CEO's, COO's, and VP's of marketing and sales.

"What? Trust our lifeblood to someone who isn't committed to being with us for ten years, is blatant enough to say he/she is planning to leave, and could very well take our customer list?!"

Never mind that some of these companies engage part- or full-time interim CIO's and CFO's, which preside over what is now equally critical information (off-balance-sheet items, operating ratios, web analytics, business process trade secrets).

And never mind that Business Week [November 29, 2007] cites the average tenure of a CMO at 26 months and 44 months for a CEO.

So we teamed up for some reseach on the subject, involving numerous interviews and synthesis. The book was published last month: "Leadership On Demand: How Smart CEO's Tap Interim Management to Drive Revenue".

Ironically, venture capitalists, private equity, and bankers generally appreciate the value proposition with a variable-cost model. As with a personal massage, just the right amount of pressure in just the right place -- revenue generation -- can make all the difference in the world to a business.

Again, just as in our personal lives, they say "money isn't everything, but it sure does give us more options!"

It can make the difference whether management:

• launches a new business initiative or not,
• acquires another company or not,
• sees the company bought by another at the same valuation or not, and in some cases,
• has the doors locked by the IRS or not.

These are ideas "around the book". For the ideas in the book, see the Media Release.

We're told this is "just the right read" for an airplane ride. Whether or not you are one, how many executives do you know who have hours and hours of extra time?

If you're considering buying, take a look at http://www.leadship-on-demand.com/.

Thanks, and enjoy! Your feedback is invited.