The willingness to question: a healthy exercise in interim management

Day-to-day life swallows us up; as soon as we get up, we’re already saying, ‘We’re really swamped’; to confirm this, I suggest you answer these questions honestly:

• In your company, do you automatically mistrust managers or colleagues who are younger than you?
• Do you occasionally enjoy recounting past battles?
• I know this isn’t false modesty, but do you think you already know everything there is to know about your business?
• Have you, on several occasions, resisted change?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’, particularly to the third and fourth questions, don’t worry; great advances are made in medicine every day, and there is reason for hope; but I must inform you that, a long time ago, there were great minds who didn’t think that way:

‘It is important for anyone who wishes to attain certainty in their research to know when to doubt.’ (Aristotle)

In a similar vein, there were people who seemed to encourage doubt, but with a clear intention of spurring continuous improvement:

‘True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant.’ (Miguel de Unamuno)

Perhaps, (I ask), day-to-day life overwhelms us because one of these circumstances applies: either incidents consume all our time and effort, or, quite the opposite, the results are good thanks to our constant dedication.

Allow me to offer two thoughts:

• Firstly,

  ‘When you are in the midst of adversity, it is already too late to be cautious.’ (Seneca)

• Secondly,

  ‘When we achieve our goal, we believe the path was the right one.’ (Paul Valéry)

It may seem simple to find a famous quote to support almost any idea or approach, but it is equally simple to recognise the positive evidence of the deliberate act of doubt; we should include this in our daily routine; do you remember Felipe, Mafalda’s friend? He was already showing us the way with this quote:

‘The will must be the only thing in the world that, when it’s deflated, needs a bit of a nudge.’

It is becoming increasingly clear that it is essential to read widely, keep an open mind, understand the boundaries of our comfort zone and step outside it; in short, to constantly learn new things. We must expect there to be moments of uncertainty, even of fear; to the extent that our knowledge allows us to visualise these situations and anticipate them, we will have a large part of the solution within our grasp, or at least know which direction to move in.

‘What can be unforeseen for those who have foreseen nothing?’ (Paul Valéry)

Since the only constant is change, no company will survive without new talent, new approaches and new ways of doing things; not all companies can afford to take on such talent on a permanent basis, nor is it necessary to do so; allow us to suggest some other options in:

Interim Management Services

Through interim management, it is possible to engage executives for a specific period of time to meet a particular need. This recruitment solution is widely used in the US and Europe as an alternative to the permanent appointment of executives.