The best interim CEOs are not placeholders. They are catalysts.

A permanent CEO is there to build over years: developing culture, growing relationships, delivering strategy and leading the organisation into its next phase.

An interim CEO is there to solve problems. They must absorb complex situations in days, earn trust quickly, make decisions with incomplete information, lead through uncertainty, strengthen governance, manage difficult change and often make the decisions others have been avoiding. Most importantly, they should leave the charity stronger than they found it and set the incoming CEO up for success.

The best interim CEOs are not placeholders. They are catalysts.
When trustees recruit an interim, they shouldn't ask, "Who can keep things ticking over until we find someone?" They should ask, "What needs to be fixed, changed or strengthened before our new CEO arrives?"

That single question changes everything about whom you appoint. The answer to that question should shape the appointment.

After 20 interim CEO appointments, I've even more convinced that a successful interim isn't defined by the organisation they lead, it's defined by the legacy they leave behind.