Do Business Well

If you have followed Laurence A. Tisch’s career at CBS, you’ve seen a good demonstration of how serving as an acting or interim manager can result in an official promotion. After five months as the acting CEO, Tisch was formally appointed as both CEO and president.

As you’re probably aware, this was really quite an exceptional situation. Tisch’s performance clearly satisfied the directors; both positions were open; and Tisch also happened to be co-CEO and chairman of the board (and a major shareholder) of the Loews Corporation, a major CBS stockholder.

In contrast, the circumstances under which you might be asked to serve as an acting manager may not be quite as favorable. They seldom are.

You may be temporarily filling a senior position that’s usually staffed by someone whose background—in domestic and international R&D, for example—is considerably broader than your own, which might be limited to engineering. On the other hand, you might be replacing your boss, who may or may not be returning to the position in question from a special assignment or an extended disability leave.

Still, even if you don’t win an outright promotion, serving as acting manager could give you the experience you need to get promoted to a different position down the road. To make the most of your opportunity, consider the following:

• Time period. “Go into the situation realistically and find out what the expectations are,” advises Dr. Samuel Rabinowitz, associate professor of management and organizational behavior at the Rutgers University School of Business in Camden, NJ.

If you’re filling in for a relatively short time, your authority will be more limited than if you’re stepping into an open position. If you are pinch-hitting, you should be able to talk to the person you’re replacing before he or she goes away, says Rabinowitz.

You’ll want to learn he individual’s system and try not to contradict procedures that were set up over a long time period. If the person used approach A and you try approach B, you’ll confuse everyone. “The manager coming back could interpret it as a real slap in the face,” says Rabinowitz.

• Relationships. It’s important to clearly establish the scope of your authority with your new boss, as well as with your new subordinates. This will help prevent territorial clashes, not only with these individuals, but also with your new colleagues in senior management. If you will be serving as the acting manager for an open position, this is even more crucial. Your mandate is apt to be less clear-cut since it’s not known when—and if—someone will be taking over from you.

• Prospects. Try to find out what has happened to other interim managers at your firm, suggests Rabinowitz. Were they promoted more quickly, relieved of their duties or any variation in between? This information can help strengthen your case, should you decide to press for the official promotion and the raise that goes with it.

Even though you may feel now that advantage is being taken of you, it’s important to prove that you can successfully handle the additional responsibilities a promotion would be sure to bring.

Observation: However long your stint as interim manager lasts, bear in mind that you could end up in your previous position. To avoid sabotaging your future, don’t let your temporary assignment alienate you from your former peers. You’re bound to need their continuing support, no matter what happens to you in the future.

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