RFBE seeks to add value by using our skills and expertise to help deliver an outcome, solution, service or mitigate risk that provides a meaningful ‘Return On Investment’ to a client. We take up assignments based on a mutually agreed understanding of goals and objectives to be performed and delivered, and not simply on the basis of attendance.

Once we commit to an assignment, we can place suitable staff within a short time frame. We will ensure that we become effective quickly upon taking up an assignment within a client organisation. Because of our experience and expertise, we aim to conduct and complete assignments effectively and with due speed.

RFBE staff typically operate at a senior level in the client organisation, often being sensibly over-qualified for the roles they take on. They often bring skills and knowledge not otherwise in place, to address a specific skills gap or problem. Their experience and expertise enables them to be productive and make a noticeable impact from the outset, maximising the likelihood of success.

Unencumbered by company politics or culture, RFBE provides a fresh perspective and our team members are able to concentrate on what's best for the business. Being independent operators, we are able to contribute honestly without constituting a threat to the incumbent management team. Not being part of a larger business, we are not pressured to unnecessarily extend our assignment.

Rather than taking on a purely advisory role, RFBE staff are managers who will take responsibility for and manage a business or project in their own right. We expect to be held accountable for results and by being instrumental in an assignment’s successful delivery, we give clients the peace of mind that our role as the Interim Manager has stewardship of the project in hand.

Operating at or near board-level gives RFBE the authority and credibility to effect significant change or transition within a company. Unlike a ‘temp’, we are not just there to ‘hold the fort’. We actively add value to the client organisation as a result of their expertise and approach, even when the work and the decisions to be made are difficult.

RFBE maintains high professional standards because our future work relies upon referrals and a successful track record. We therefore have a stake in the success of the assignments that we undertake. This contrasts favourably with other ‘temporary workers’ who may also be seeking ‘permanent employment’ or simply motivated by a day rate or extending their tenure.

The prospective client and RFBE make initial contact and explore the requirement sufficiently for the client to be able to decide to engage RFBE (or not) to address the situation. This is likely to involve a ‘preliminary’ assessment of what the client thinks they want and the boundaries of RFBE’s contribution. Typically this takes place over one or more initial meetings and results in RFBE submitting a proposal.

Upon RFBE’s formal appointment, we will research the current situation in order to understand it, how it came about, what are the requirements of the varying stakeholders. At this stage a more detailed understanding of ‘what the situation is’ is formed as well as approaches to address it. Differing issues or problems may come to light at this stage than initially highlighted by the client. On a ‘gap’ assignment this diagnosis may run concurrently with the handling of immediate issues. Typically the diagnosis stage will take a few days.

RFBE presents a detailed action plan which acts as the Interim Assignment objectives and plan. If this differs significantly from the preliminary plans determined at ‘Entry’, the solution may involve different requirements from RFBE or possibly the ending of the assignment. It is common that this ‘Proposal’ may challenge the clients understanding of the situation, on the basis of RFBE’s expertise. RFBE will take the responsibility to propose a solution most likely to be effective, not automatically the one originally requested. In the case of a ‘gap assignment’ such a proposal may simply outline how RFBE will be a ‘safe pair of hands’.

RFBE takes responsibility for managing the intervention, project, or solution, tracking progress and conducting periodic feedback reviews with the client. Depending on the assignment, we get as close to the situation as is necessary, whilst remaining an independent practitioner. We may be managing teams, projects, dealing with crises or transformations or simply ‘holding the fort. Our implementation is unencumbered by company politics or culture and is focused on the task in hand.

As we approach the project end, we ensure that objectives have been met and that the client is satisfied. This stage may involve ‘knowledge handover and training’, determining and sourcing ‘business as usual’ successors, and ‘sharing lessons learnt’ in the process. We will be focused on the success of the assignment and not simply the length of our own tenure, which means that this stage can be carried our professionally and objectively. This may be the end of the business relationship but sometimes the client may engage us to continue to give occasional ad hoc consultancy.