7 Reasons to Hire an Interim CCO
In this first of a two-part series, we explore the benefits of hiring senior external counsel to lead your institution’s communications while you search for your next leader. In our next post, we’ll discuss how to structure an interim CCO role for success at any institution.
A vacancy in the chief communications officer role for a college or university never comes at a good time. Whether it’s the demands of responding to a crisis or the constant flow of initiatives and leadership decisions, institutions do not have the luxury of pausing while they search for a new CCO or vice president.
Campuses have seen a lot of turnover in this role, though, especially since the pandemic and the incredible demands it placed on this profession. As a result, during that time, I’ve had multiple opportunities to serve as an interim communications and marketing leader while my clients conducted their search for a permanent vice president.
Having been both a long-time internal and a short-time external leader, I’ve seen seven significant benefits an interim CCO or marcom VP can bring to an organization while an executive search is underway:
1. Advising and Leading
An interim leader brings to a president, a cabinet, and a team fresh perspectives gained from tackling similar challenges across different institutions. They have seen what works and what doesn’t in a wide range of situations, allowing them to inform, or, if needed, create, strategies that serve the institution in the particular circumstances and long after their role concludes.
2. Infusing Expertise
Communications professionals ready to serve as interim leaders should by definition be senior in their field, providing immediate access to a high level of expertise and experience ready to drive action with little ramp-up time.
3. Building Morale
The absence of a CCO can disrupt a team’s morale and workflow. Drawing upon what they’ve seen succeed elsewhere, an interim leader will provide guidance and direction on pivotal strategic and creative questions, serve as a mentor, and establish stability during an otherwise unsettling time.
4. Preserving Talent
Assigning the next in line to serve as an interim leader can strain the most capable employees, who typically already shoulder significant responsibilities. It can also create other complications, including whether that person will, or will not, be a candidate for the permanent role. External interim CCOs help avoid this predicament while allowing valuable team members to thrive in their current roles.
5. Sustaining Momentum
Effective communication is paramount for institutional success, notably in admissions and fundraising. An interim leader can keep the progress towards these goals going while bringing new eyes to all the necessary strategic and creative work.
6. Overcoming Internal Politics
As someone free from the internal politics of a campus, an interim external leader can ask difficult questions and propose approaches that are often difficult to pursue for individuals with extended histories within an institution.
7. Preparing for the Future
As interim leaders assess talent, identify gaps in performance or opportunities for new directions, and contribute to strategic communications planning, they set the stage for the incoming permanent leader's success. The results can enable the new CCO or vice president to hit the ground running. (In fact, the interim leader can be a valuable partner in the search process, since they’ve gotten to know the leadership and the team, besides helping the new leader get off to a great start.)
With higher education under pressure from every direction, a vacancy in the senior communications chair risks leaving an institution vulnerable to numerous challenges, besides causing disruption and uncertainty for the communications team.
The right interim leader can provide highly informed strategic counsel, help drive reputational and financial progress, and support and guide the team through an unsettling time, all while setting the stage for the permanent vice president’s success.
When turnover comes, it can be a precious and impactful option.