FMInterim

Intergenerational scam

2011-07-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

So here's the scam, mum and dad go out on a spending spree for 40 years using debt, tax breaks and inflation to build their personal wealth and lock it up mostly in property and pension savings.

Then they retire and leave the debt burden and it's servicing to their kids and grandkids.

No wonder the economy is sinking - we've broken the covenant with our children, we should be picking up the debt bill - not them.

A one off tax on all those with capital assets of c. £1M and more, would pay down the national debt at a stroke and with it the servicing costs, with no cuts or direct/ indirect income tax rises required.

Then the youngsters could get on with rebuilding Britain's economy- untroubled by their patrents' debts.

Let's hope the government get honest, exposes the scam and sorts it out.

Economy goes slow

2011-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

It seems the economy has decided to go slow - everywhere you look the consumer is holding back and cutting back.

But the UK economy relies for two thirds of it's output on Mr & Mrs Consumer well, consuming!

So what's to be done, how does the Coalition persuade us all to get out and spend?

Well, as the Irish joke goes, to get to where you want to go - I wouldn't start from here.

It's all down to confidence and trust, as every Interim Manager knows well, without those two ingredients you can't make anything happen. Mr & Mrs Consumer need to have confidence in their futures and to trust the Coalition to set policies that make Britain a place where enterprise and opportunity can thrive.

Trouble is - politicians - despite their posturing - have very little power to do these thing in the very interconnected and interdependent world of the 21st century. They rely on the kindness of stangers around the world to keep Britain going because of it's huge debts.

Will they have the capacity to bring about the paradigm shifts in thinking required to solve UK's problems, we'll have to wait and see - but so far it doesn't look promising.

Perhaps they should move over and let a cohort of Interim Managers take over who are skilled in using paradigm shifts in thinking, in order to solve the complex problems they meet every day!

When will the penny drop.

2010-11-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Capitalism relies on creative destruction to survive.

It must destroy inefficient organisations so that new ones can flourish, yet right now the central bankers and their government sponsors seem determined not to let inefficient banks, inefficient governments, or even inefficient states go down.

No they must be saved from their mistakes, they must be saved at all costs and hey- it's not our money they are being rescued with, it's our children's and grandchildren's.

So now we don't really live in a capitalist society or economy anymore - but one which is 'protected' from reality by ooodles of cash which we don't actually have.

Yet - next to global heating (which will wipe out man), western nations' biggest problem is debt.

Adding more debt is so foolish - yet the man in the street does nothing to stop his elected representatives as they pay down debts with more debt.

When will the penny drop !!

Will they deliver or do they need professional Interims?

2010-08-19T02:34:00.000-07:00

Will the coalition government have the bottle to push through their proposed savings ?

Will they really cut PFI deals which would cost everyone ££ millions over the next 25 years?

Will they upset so many groups that they get hounded out of office?

Will we really see a million public sector workers on the dole?

Well, they've set out their plans in broad terms and the detail will follow in October, but as every Interim Manager knows, you then have to deliver...no if's or but's, otherwise you are toast.

Consultants do the analysis and set out the plans (the easy bit), but Interim Managers deliver.

Interims everywhere will be watching Dave and Nick with interest in the autumn, to see if they can make the transition from consultants to Interim Managers!

Realism not optimism like Interim Managers

2010-08-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

So - the economy is recovering, really?

It will take years for the adjustment to lower living standards for all in the West as we level up with the East.

Asset prices have much further to fall, 50%+ and real incomes likewise.

So let's get realistic like Interim Managers and accept lower pay rates and adjust our lifestyles accordingly.

Emergency budget good news for Interim Managers

2010-06-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yes- at last the IR35 issues are to be dumped, which will be good news for many Interim Managers operating through their own companies...AND......best of all, the public sector is to reduce it's costs WITHOUT REDUCING FRONTLINE SERVICES.

They'll need the advice of Interim managers to do this - it's a core skill for them, so standby for lots of enquiries from public organisations.

The moment of truth

2010-05-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

So - Gordon decides to go on the day Europe decides to adopt his policies - what an irony.

Gordon Brown's legacy will be that he was the man who persuaded the world to pile debt on debt and then spread it around. Following the 2008 banking crisis, it was G B that convinced the central banks to pump more debt into the system which was already choked with it.

Now 18 months later when that new pile of debt is spilling over into ailing sovereign balance sheets in some countries - the EU central bank (or it's proxy) has decided to pump more debt into the system to cover not just the ailing countries - but those yet to catch the malaise.

Previously cautious and prudent bankers following the Austrian school of economics have abandoned their principles over the last weekend and signed up to debt profligacy joining Britain and America in the race to penury.

As Gordon leaves the stage - it will be the job of those that follow to balance the books, unless we invent a new form of economics where folk live off ever increasing debt forever...now there's a thought!

Why bother going to work - just relax and borrow some more to buy the bread and circuses.

Good news on daily rates for Interim Managers

2010-05-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Our recent research shows average daily rates for Interim Managers are edging up. The £500plus per day rate is now not unusual and some Interims with sought after experience are regularly commanding over £1000/day.

Interim Manager to be Prime Minister

2010-04-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hi....this is not as silly as it might appear.

Interim managers typically, get in, understand the problems, sort them and get out, with no stigma attaching to the host organisation .

Surely this is just what Britain needs right now?

If we're going to change the electoral system, let's incorporate a facility to use Interim Managers when needed - why not?

As someone once said - 'if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got'.

Is an Interim Manager required on May 6th?

2010-04-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

With UK in a mess financially and the electorate not sure who to choose on May 6th to get us out of it, is it time to call in an Interim Manager?

This General Election would be more meaningful if we had an Interim Manager to choose, because Interim Managers offer diagnosis, implementation and then exit.

It's not clear that Messrs Clegg, Brown and Cameron offer this and they are certainly not on the books of the IIM,

www.iim.org.uk

- as far as I know, but then they're not really interested in an Interim role are they!

Sterling collapses.....

2010-02-26T03:56:00.000-08:00

....soon, as the real depression for the UK kicks in and the false hopes generated by this phoney recovery are exposed and fade.

Interest rates will rise and house prices will fall. The UK economy will move into it's destined 'y' shaped slump as output and demand collapse.

The FTSE will find a bottom out at or near 2850 and house prices 50% lower than current prices.

More stimulus will not only be unavailable but will be seen as useless and undesirable.

May more businesses will fail and private and public sector unemployment will inevitably soar as the clear out of excess supply does it's work.

Social unrest will be high as will calls for an end to globalisation and free trade - to protect UK jobs.

It should be good news for Interim Managers, although the competition will hot up as more of them come onto the market.

Those starting out may want to look at the Interim Management Association site:
www.interimmanagement.uk.com

With the nadir occuring in 2012 - slow and tentative growth will begin thereafter.

Executives turn to Interim Management

2010-02-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

Our research shows that more and more executives made redundant in this recession are turning to Interim Management to avoid the dole queues.

This is "masking the true unemployment figures" said a spokesman for FM Interim, but "provides a great opportunity for senior managers to make a substantial impact on the recovery of UK plc" she said.

Anyone considering Interim Management might want to visit the Institute of Interim Managers website for more useful information:

http://www.ioim.org.uk/

Will we fall for it?

2010-02-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

The story so far:

Gordon tells Mervyn to start printing money and make it cheap by lowering rates in early 2008 to anaesthetise the population into thinking we're not in an almighty mess....and so help him to get elected in 2010.

Then he tells the nationalised banks not to foreclose on those that can't pay their mortgages...and so help him get elected in 2010.

Then he tells the various agencies to redefine unemployment via the way benefits can be claimed to make the unemployed figures look smaller..to help him get elected.

Then he tells Mervyn to say that printing money and low interest rates are here to stay for a while so that those now enjoying lower monthly mortgage payments feel better off... to help him get elected.

Then he gives our money away to help people buy a new car but when GDP shows only small growth ie 0.1% he extends the scheme and gives some more of our money away..to help him get elected

Then he tells the Liberals they might get into government through AV ...to help him get elected

...and on ...and on... it goes.

Will we fall for it?

Interim Managers should hope he stays in power since there should be more opportunities as he mortgages away more of our future....will they fall for it?

Homeowners should hope he stays in power...will they fall for it?

But there is one group who won't fall for it...the international money markets. No - they will call Gordon's bluff before the election aand expose the mess we're in.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

2010-01-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

The Beatles knew the answer to this depression - let it be!

When will the central bankers - who caused it with their money debasing policies just stop meddling and let it be. After all the money printing and low interest rates and bank bailouts and government support schemes and tax reductions and car buyers bribes...only 0.1% growth in GDP.

Was it worth it- NO. Will it go into reverse when the meddlers are forced to close down their schemes - YES.

Deleveraging and the drop in aggregate demand it engenders is here to stay - get over to it - just - let it be.

New year - new debts

2010-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

We're all going to wake up to the extent of our debts in 2010, because we each owe £100,000.

This is because the government has racked up a staggering £3 trillion of debt on our behalf in recent times and that's £100.000 for every adult in the UK. So this fantasy recovery from the Great Recession will be exposed and tough times await us all.

It could be the year businesses wake up to the fact that by using Interim Managers they get higher outputs and also turn their fixed costs into variable costs.

Every company finance director should take note!

Will a deal at Copenhagen cause markets to slump?

2009-12-14T02:51:00.000-08:00

Probably, since the inherent weakness in western consumer capitalism is that it requires consumption and growth to exist.

This is in conflict with halting climate change which requires conservation NOT consumption.

Politicians are trying to square the circle by having consumption driven by non (or low) carbon fuels, but this is unrealistic, since we simply don't have the time(must be done in next 5 years to stop CO2 going past tipping point) to build all the nuclear power (the only known low carbon technology that will work and generate sufficient energy for our needs) stations needed around the world.

Carbon offsetting is the other scheme to square the circle - but essentially it's very shaky since to work it would need to be policed on an international scale and the carbon caps imposed would need to be draconian, thus dramatically diminishing businesses capacity to grow.

So if we are to survive as a species we need to revert to a 1940's lifestyle in the West immediately and this austerity will cause business to decline rapidly and markets to slump.

Austerity has already started to a degree and aggregate demand is dropping, the spotlight being shone on the problem by the Copenhagen summit will accelerate this as more people think through how they need to change their lifestyles so that their children and grandchildren will survive.

Any Interim Managers who can see another way out of this bind - which will work, will be able to demand very high daily fees indeed for their solutions as they advise governments around the world!

I'm forever blowing bubbles...

2009-11-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

..yes, you recognise the signature tune of Beb Bernanke at the FED and Mervyn King at the Bank of England, even Angela Merkel has it playing in the background now.

With the printing presses in full flow turning out banknotes like confetti we here, with our little band of Interim Managers, watch as the bubbles inflate, housing to the left, shares to the right.

We just sit tight and wait for the next big pop, when we'll be rushed in to help out as businesses run out of cash and customers. This one could be the biggest catastrophe since the Flood!

Not long now, I can already see some Interims fastening their seat belts and reaching under their seats for the life jacket, crash number 2 is on it's way.

Climate Change Summit condemned by Interim Manager

2009-11-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

A focus group of average UK citizens concluded that the forthcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen will fail because:

1. the climate change models predicting global warming are crude and flawed - so the science is weak - although they agreed that the probability that CO2 is causing catastrophic climate change is high

2. the 'selfish' gene in human nature will obviate a global consensus on appropriate action

3. the western economic system free market growth model based on cheap energy through burning carbon is totally incompatible with a low carbon future - but is unlikely to be changed because of vested interests.

4. any proposed solution involving carbon trading will fail because the market will be skewed and impossible to police

An Interim Management expert on climate change agreed with these conclusions.

It's all bubbling along nicely again ......

2009-11-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

..in the economic stock pot and as the heat has been turned up ie the printing presses have rolled and turned out billions of bank notes which have been metaphorically burnt, the heat created has made our stock start to bubble - again. Hey it's just like 2006...let's all party.

But wait, what's in our giant stock pot?

House prices, stock market prices, gold bars, barrels of oil, cash for clunkers new car sale, bankers bonuses..yes they're all there bubbling along nicely helped by those top chefs in the kitchens of the central banks and their political masters.

Will the pot boil over again and house prices, car sales, market prices spill down the cooker and be back on the floor soon- of course they will.

Standy by Interim Managers you're going to be needed to clean up the mess.

Interim Managers not fooled by received wisdom

2009-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest assets Interim Managers bring to organisations is their ability to use deductive thinking ie they use logic and reasoning to work out what needs to be done.

Permanent employees tend to rely more on inductive thinking ie. 'this is how we did things in the past here, with these results' and then they extrapolate from these past experiences to work out what will need to be done now and in the future.

Unfortunately this inductive thinking pattern tends to repeat old mistakes, albeit in a modified form and does not lead to fresh (deductive) thinking which is the only form of thinking which will bring outperformance for the organisation.

We see this inductive thinking being used with the financial and economic catastrophe we are all experiencing. Massive debt- both private and public- kept the party going for most in the west from '97-'06.- it almost got out of hand.

Then the central banks raised interest rates - debt dried up - and the party pooped.

So using good old inductive thinking, the central banks and their political masters figured, hey all we need to do is generate lots of debt again and the party will soon be back on it's feet. The good old received wisdom borne of inductive thinking was sure to do the trick.

So, they printed money, gave it away (using low interest rates again) and hoped the dancers would soon take to the floor again. The music started playing again, the canopes were wheeled in, but the dancers were too damaged after that bad fall they had last time they got drunk- so decided to sit this one out and nurse their hangover.

Which is why this so called fragile growth is a lie - soon to be exposed when the market, house prices and the western economies crash again.

The dancers - like Interim Managers- are not fooled by the received wisdom.

So there it is - however there is an alternative view ie., Sir Alan Greenspan has recently declared a recovery is underway in the United States.

Delusions don't distract Interim Managers

2009-10-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

Well the delusion that things are improving on the economic front is setting in, only to be shattered again shortly.

This is a depression ie a sustantial reforming and restructuring of the economy is under way which will take years to complete. Those who believe this is a traditional post war recession are deluding themselves.

Major restructuring is always good for Interim Managers who bring fresh notions unencumbered by received thinking, so they should thrive over the next few years as organisations struggled to adapt.

It's taken over 60 years of post war consumerism to bring the consumer to his knees.

Time's up, no more borrowing, no more spending money he hasn't earned, the gravy train has hit the buffers.

America - where it all started in the early fifties is in decline as are all the 'borrower nations' whilst the 'saver' nations in the east are in the ascendancy.

The shock waves are rippling out across the globe.

Assets like shares and houses will have their good days - but their long term trend is down.

They will not enter a true rising market again for many, many years.

Still Interims will do well......always a silver lining!

Baby Boomers are high flying Interim Managers

2009-09-22T00:45:00.001-07:00

Baby boomers ie those born roughly between the end of the war and 1960 are well know as the generation who are independent thinkers, which is just the quality you need in a good Interim Manager.

Interims need to be courageous, challenging and in many ways controversial and disinterested, just like a good non executive director should be, so Interims in their 50's and 60's are psychologically disposed to be really top flight Interim Managers.

Independence in mind and spirit is a key attribute potential employers should look for when interviewing Interim Managers.

Interim Managers benefit from recession

2009-09-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

Many Interims are working flat out now that the recession/depression is finally getting underway.

Our Interim Managers tell us at regular feedback sessions that the economic crisis has done their personal balance sheets a power of good.

Smart companies realise that Interim Managers often offer much better value for money than permanent employees since they are totally focused on getting the job done rather than using some of their energies on corporate politics!

Fees for Interim Manager providers fall

2009-09-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Why do businesses pay high fees to Interim Manager agencies and providers - beats me?

Thankfully, as the post crash great recession/depression sets in and the dawning reality of a low cost UK economy emerges, a new generation of low cost Interim Management recruiters are around to supply Interims to UK businesses at very modest fees.

Never Never Land - an Interim Tale of Fantasy

2009-09-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

Back in the 50's when credit came crashing onto these shores from across the pond, the Brits thought - I like this idea.

As the ads used to say "take the waiting out of wanting" and ever since the Brits have given the concept of buying on the 'never never' a really good run, buying cars, washers, houses, second homes, holidays, clothes, food, water, loo rolls - on the never never.

But now it's come to an end, never never land has arrrived, the credit has stopped rolling and a great depression is forming.

Of course the politicians and central bankers will try to make this mess a 'great mess' and I see they are trying by creating more credit - why not- it's worked before. Add more punch to the punch bowl when the party starts to go flat....it must make sense.

But it won't get the party going this time.

Yet - what's this, there are those amongst us who think it's all over, but as St. Paul writes, ‘He that deceiveth himself is not wise.

Let's be honest, the great credit expansion of the last 50 years is over and credit contraction will be the beat from now on.

Of course it suited Gordon, our hero, to allow huge credit expansion for the last 10 years, since it covered the inconvenient truth that real wages in the UK (and the West) were falling, as the East developed. So if people could borrow to make up the difference or bid up house prices, everyone would feel richer.

Now the money illusion has been exposed and folk know they're getting poorer.

After all if you're an average Joe you live in an house worth £150,000 and earn £25,000 (or £17,500 after stoppages). But your house is falling in value by c.15% or more per annum - so you're losing c. £22,000 a year in capital but only bringing in £17,500 ie you're £4,500 worse off after a year of working!!

Never Never Land has arrived.

2015 and the collapse of house prices.

2009-08-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

If house prices are going up - enjoy it while you can because 2015 is going to be a significant year for house owners. About then the UK's energy generators start to close down due to age and energy supply drops by about 40%. The lights are sure to go out and the cost of energy will soar.

Because of the long lead times - about 10 years - for new power stations (particularly nuclear), we have no chance to avert this disaster.

Supply will be constrained by price from 2015 onwards.

At about the same time all new UK houses will need to be carbon neutral, so with high energy prices these will become highly desirable ...and expensive. However houses which are old (normally called quaint or characterful in Britain) and leak energy will become very cheap, just like in the early 70's when the oil crisis broke - you couldn't give away old rectories.

Think what the impending pincer movement on energy ie. restricted energy supply yet growing demand for energy neutral houses, will do to house prices for most of the existing stock.

Will they go down, or up? Go figure.

Any Interim Management energy experts out there who can help please - urgently!!

Interim Consultancy

2009-07-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Interim consultancy is now becoming big business.

Companies are finding that they can employ an Interim Manager more cost effectively than a consultant and whilst the Interim is running a project or managing a team etc. which is their 'business as usual' function, they give valuable consultancy advice along the way. So the client get's two for the price of one!

And more importantly, the Interim consultancy is founded in real life experiences, rather than business school text book theory.

Interim consultancy is the way to beat the recession for many companies in 2009.

Growth & Greed change to Neutrality & Need part 1

2009-07-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

So- the economic pundits and politicians are not sure whether the depression is getting better or worse. But surely these guys should know - they're the experts.

Not so - their problem is that the models they use pay little regard to behavioural economics, prefering to focus on 'hard' data rather than 'soft' intuitive concepts. They also rely on inductive thinking, always looking at what happened last time to gain insights, rather than using deductive thinking, which is much harder, to predict what might happen.

But their biggest problem is that they've talked themselves into calling what's happening a recession, rather than it's true name ie. depression.

Depressions induce major structural and policy changes, recessions merely rely on a bit of 'trimming' round the margins of policy.

Depressions bring about a sea change in attitudes because personal values change and that's what's happening now.

It's a huge structural change in thinking that's taking place- Obama spotted it - that's why he used change as his signature during the election campaign for the White House.

The western world's value systems are changing from growth and greed to neutrality and need. Interim managers who are skilled in change management could help businesses and government adjust to this new order.

More on this later.....

Global Warming needs Interim Managers

2009-07-20T02:58:00.000-07:00

Why you ask? Well let's face it global warming is here to stay and no thinking individual believes we're not already past the point of no return with global temperature set to rise at least 3'C over the next few decades and probably much more.

So wild seas rising to consume most of the southeast, eastern and central England (just think what that will do to your house price) are certain. What we need now are Interims (who make excellent project managers) employed in their thousands by the government to plan the implementation of significant sea defences to protect the endemic population.

By the way- don't expect HMG to do anything about our carbon outputs and halt the 3'+ rise, despite the talk most folk in the UK have not woken up to the armaggedon looming for humans and even those that have are disinclined to change their lifestyle by the massive amount needed today to stop the 3'C plus rise. So they are not pushing the government to do something - indeed it is all of us that has to 'do something' - NOW, not the government.

We would need to immediately start living like we did in the 1940's to achieve the 80% reduction in carbon emissions needed by 2050 (only 40 years away - many of us may still be here!!) ie no car, no flying, no central heating, no electrical gadgets in the kitchen etc.

Don't expect technology to save us - it won't. Relying on wind farms, photo cells and solar panels is as likely to save our annihilation as a species as the boom in China (if it exists) is likely to save us from another depression. It won't happen.

Besides, the carbon emitted to build and maintain this technology almost ensures that the 3'C will be hit!...think about it.

No - let's accept were going to be flooded and millions in southern Europe and further afield will be displaced and board ships to travel (and try to settle) in England and northern Europe.

Put Interim Managers to work today to help mitigate the inevitable crisis which is tomorrow!

The coming shape of things to come

2009-07-17T03:55:00.000-07:00

Yes - the same dumb clucks who didn't see the depression coming, can't see the shape of what's to come.

At first they thought it was going to be V shaped, Ben Bernanke thought it might be over by Christmas and even Tim G has said he can see growth coming.

Meanwhile Gordon thought he'd saved the world in the Spring and the mainsteam newspapers reported green shoots everywhere.

However recently the V seems to have adopted the pig flu strategy of mutating and now many think the V will become a W or a WW. Make no mistake this is a y shaped depression.

The tail of the y is what's coming next - you heard it here first.

Thankfully Interim Managers are more competent than those running the show, otherwise Interims would be fired soon after they started.

Unfortunately our democracy does not give us that option!!

What's this CPI and RPI - down!!!

2009-07-14T03:29:00.000-07:00

So the authorities have underestimated this depression, prices are still falling, but give them time - they'll keep printing money, taking on more debt to fund mindless jobs in the public sector, funding good works that no one wants and bailouts to companies that were so big and professional they didn't see that their costs were too high and that they were going bust - until one day they get it right...and the country goes completely broke. Then the bond markets will drive up interest rates, sterling will collapse and the depression will deepen.

You didn't really expect that those who didn't see the depression coming ie Brown, King et al., would to be able to put it right - did you?

Credit expansion retires with baby boomers

2009-07-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

Sixty years of credit expansion (and it's close accomplice inflation) - driven by the post war baby boomers- is now retiring with them. From now on credit contraction (and it's accomplice deflation) will be the zeitgeist.

Conspicuous consumer consumption is giving way to a more spartan way of living as the 40 somethings take control of society.

Soon debt will be a dirty word and taking credit to live beyond your income will be as popular as smoking in public. As job security diminishes, taking long term loans for houses etc. will disappear.

Prices will fall ...but more on that in a later blog on energy and houses.

What does all this mean for Interim Management and business, well, only businesses that supply 'needs' will prosper, those supplying 'wants' watch out. The latter should now be ridding themselves of permanent employees and taking on Interim Managers, who are much more flexible as these businesses decline and can be exited with ease when the time comes.

By the way - anyone still believe the green shoots story (ridiculed in an earlier blog)?

Even the Office for National Statistics now says talk of recovery is missplaced, but no doubt those with a vested interest will still see these shoots ie, central bankers, government ministers, estate agents, etc.....believe them at your peril!!

Electricity prices and Interim Managers

2009-06-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Electricity demand in the UK has fallen 4% - which is the first ever recorded fall in electricity consumption (since at least World War II), according to the BBC - yet my electricity prices have not reduced at all in recent times as far as I know.

Normally when demand falls, prices follow, but apparently not in the world of energy pricing. Maybe it's not really a competitive market after all. But if it is (as the energy companies insist) then they must be very inefficient if they cannot bring prices down, especially since oil prices have halved in the last 12 months.

So, how about the government allowing a team of independent Interim Managers loose on the electricity companies charged with driving down prices for the consumer. They would do what all Interims do and actually get stuck in and work on the front line in the businesses to make things happen- rather than another enquiry by a quango?

Are we all Interim Managers?

2009-06-23T01:24:00.000-07:00

Many managers and executives last only a short while in post before moving on (or being moved on) - so are we all really Interim Managers with each new role being effectively a new interim assignment?

Well- yes and no. Clearly with the start of each new role for a permanent, both expectations (from the employer) and interest (from the employee) are high, but inevitably the internal politics and repetition take their toll on productivity levels.

However in the case of an Interim, the contractual relationship is different. Not the classic exploitation of the employee by the employer on which western capitalism relies, but more a business to business relationship where the Interim and the employer have a mutual interest in making the project a success.

Interim Managers think differently

2009-06-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

Can Interim Managers be more effective than permanents?

Of course - because they're totally focused on finishing the job, not on keeping the job.

No worrying about what my boss will think when I suggest a new way of doing things which will increase the organisation's productivity, but may threaten his authority or team headcount.

No worrying about keeping the job as long as possible to pay the mortgage, what's more important is to deliver the required results in as short a time as possible- so that the customer is very happy.

It's a very different mindset delivering interim management services to that of an employee.

Sticky housing

2009-06-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

House prices are rising - oh really - I don't think so!

The problem is in a falling market, buyer expectations on price collapse much faster than seller's. The reverse is true in a rising market.

With falling real incomes, interest rates due to rise (as sterling hits a crisis of confidence anytime now due to the Brown debt splurge) consumers moving slowly from spend to save mode and unemployment set to soar; house prices have another 40- 50% to fall from here over the next few years.

When the average house is selling for £75, 000 (in 2011/12) we'll know we've hit the bottom of the house price declines.

Until then - all else is fantasy so stay away if you're a buyer

Interim Managers should reform parliament.

2009-05-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

The banks have been stress tested, but our 'open and transparent' government does not want to release the findings. This is because there are many more bodies buried and the banks will need much more of our money to recapitalise them before this debacle is all over.

Another reason why this Great Depression has years to run yet.

The cosy conspiracy between our government and our banks continues, despite the dosh for duck houses scandal, our MPs still do not want to acknowledge that they are there as our servants.

Interim Managers should be let loose on reforming both our banks and our parliament.

The great crash of 08-09

2009-05-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

This great crash now morphing into a great depression has stung stock market investors for half their nominal wealth.

Meanwhile the bear market in property is putting one out of every four homeowners underwater - soon to be nearly half, as property slides a further 50% plus.

So, expect banks to suddenly find their capital ratios have sunk - and they need much more taxpayers cash to keep floating.

Jobs for Interim Management experts in the banking sector should abound soon.

Are we all crazy

2009-05-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

Only the Germans and Japanese make decent cars - so what are we doing propping up GM?

Only honourable banks like the CooP keep your money safe rather than speculating it away- so why are we propping up RBS and HBOS?

Why are we propping up the price of debt by borrowing and printing more money?

Let capitalism's creative destruction work please and create opportunities for truly efficient Interim Management.

Has the Great Recession started yet?

2009-05-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Not really for most people in work. But later this year we will see it really bite as the UK government and households divert income to pay down debt.

Many years of sub par growth will ensue and businesses will cut back labour dramatically leaving the opportunity door open for Interim Management. Any Interim Managers worried about the slowdown shouldn't- their opportunities will come soon.

Is it all over by Christmas

2009-05-19T07:18:00.001-07:00

The FED Chairman thinks so- but he didn't spot it coming in the first place