The interim manager as coach or change manager

 

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In addition to interim and project management, Calibro's managers can also be deployed for coaching and change management. Arnold Hoosbeek recently completed two assignments for Calibro in this area.

Arnold Hoosbeek worked for Shell and NAM in international and national management positions for many years. Operations, engineering and maintenance were his areas of expertise. He often managed departments where there was a call for performance improvements. Arnold Hoosbeek:  “Reorganisation work is something I have a talent for.”

He left Shell two years ago. Stopping work altogether was never an option for him. “I felt it would be a pity to let all my years of knowledge and experience just evaporate away to no good effect. And I enjoy my work.“ He set up as an interim manager. In addition, as an engineer with a strong affinity for business economics, he also enrolled for a Master's degree in Business Administration.

Coaching: helping others manage more effectively

Arnold Hoosbeek collaborated with Calibro on a number of assignments last year. One of them was a coaching assignment. The business case: a Technical Department Manager at one of an international corporation's sites faced some problems. The challenges he faced were both content-related on the one hand - the availability of the plant and systems had to be increased - and the way the technical department was managed had to be improved on the other hand. Arnold Hoosbeek: “It took me a little while to acclimatise to my role as a coach. The trick, of course, is not to manage in a hands-on fashion but help your protégé to manage better.”

The coaching focused partially on the job's technical content. “I helped him analyse content-related issues such as decisions on modifications. He was in charge, I just asked questions that helped him take a better decision.” Arnold Hoosbeek also helped his protégé improve his personal performance. “I took personal leadership as the point of departure. Let him set out his own path first: ‘Where do I want to be, how do I get there and how do I motivate my people to participate as a team?’ Then we could start work. My role was to give him feedback on his own behaviour in relation to his goals.”

Change management

Another assignment that Arnold Hoosbeek recently completed for Calibro focused on change management. The company in question was struggling with the questions of what it should do with a number of less profitable products. Arnold Hoosbeek started by drawing up an analysis. Rather than concentrating on the products themselves, the organisation's overall profit target was his primary concern. The next step was to draw up an action plan. A plan that changed the mind-set of people in different departments. “But that's just half the story”, Arnold Hoosbeek emphasises. “Implementation is the most difficult part for almost all companies. That's when your experience with major corporations really comes in handy. You are unlikely to find yourself in a situation you can't cope with.”

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