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\u00a0by\u00a0Christy DeMont
\nInformation Technology<\/p>\n
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Watching political shenanigans going on everywhere (admittedly, worse in some places than others), I am reminded of lines from old TV shows and movies that seem to have current relevance both in politics and in the workplace.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s my latest thought. Remember the movie \u201cDave\u201d? Kevin Kline plays a guy who runs a temp agency and is a dead ringer for the US President. When the actual president is incapacitated by a stroke, senior aides bring Dave in to the White House to fake being the president so they can keep their corrupt plans going forward.<\/p>\n
At one point late in the movie, Dave says this about being president:<\/p>\n
\u201cI forgot I was hired to do a job \u2026and it was just a temp job at that\u2026I forgot that I had\u2026people who were paying me to make their lives a little better\u2026I ought to care more about you than about me\u2026.I ought to care more about what\u2019s right than I do about what\u2019s popular.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think this is a great mantra for interim management \u2013 to come in and get a job done, make things easier for people in the organization to keep making progress on strategies and goals, to help figure out and execute the right thing to do when faced with an issue or crisis.<\/p>\n
As an extra advantage, interim managers also provide great objectivity to any organization that wants someone with fresh eyes to see what is working and what isn\u2019t. Interim managers don\u2019t share existing organizational biases and aren\u2019t worried about getting a promotion \u2013 we can tell you what we see and recommend changes, directly and fearlessly. But we rely on references from previous engagements so we have to do our work with integrity, with commitment and with respect.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s also relevant to generalize this mantra to \u201cpermanent\u201d jobs. The days of working for the same company for your entire career are long gone for most people. Even if a job lasts 5 or 10 years, thinking about it as a temp job helps you focus on doing the right work for the organization and your colleagues, keeps you from becoming complacent, allows you to stop worrying about what is popular and do your work with passion and integrity.<\/p>\n
End note: if any reader wishes to forward this to elected officials north or south of the 49 parallel to help them understand the parameters of the job they have taken on, be my guest!)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n \u00a0by\u00a0Christy DeMont<\/a><\/p>\n
\nInformation Technology<\/p>\n