An external perspective in business: an asset that is still too often underestimated; An opinion piece by Adélaïde Panhard for FocusRH
26.01.2026
Turning to an external perspective is still not a natural reflex for many companies. When faced with a complex situation, a transformation to be carried out or a crisis to manage, the temptation is strong to rely on internal resources and to “make do with what is available.” This may be driven by habit, loyalty to existing teams, or fear of what the arrival of a third party might represent – beyond external advice – within the company. And yet, in many cases, this temporary reinforcement- particularly in the context of interim management – constitutes a powerful lever for performance and collective maturity. Still, the preconceived ideas surrounding it must first be challenged.
A fresh perspective to see what we no longer see
In an uncertain world undergoing constant transformation, companies need a diversity of backgrounds, methods and points of view in order to remain agile and connected to emerging developments and new challenges. Calling on external support on a temporary basis and for a clearly defined issue can help organizations question themselves in a constructive way and dare to look differently at their own ways of operating.
One of the first benefits of an interim manager lies in their clarity. While they are very familiar with power dynamics, they do not become involved in internal political games. And while they have performance objectives, they have no career stake in the company that welcomes them. As a result, they are able to carry out a rapid, unbiased diagnosis and even to raise questions that are sometimes no longer asked. An external perspective thus acts as a valuable antidote to insularity, limiting beliefs and organizational blind spots.
By introducing a new approach, the interim manager brings a degree of objectivity – or at least a broader perspective – combined with high standards and pragmatism. This shift in viewpoint, built on years of experience, makes it possible to revisit issues that teams believe they know inside out… to the point of no longer truly seeing them.
They bring clarity and help refocus the organization on what really matters: a clear objective, a concrete action plan and implementation. Interim management is not detached consulting; it is about strategy, decision-making and operational execution.
Challenging common misconceptions
So why do some companies still hesitate? Because interim management continues to be burdened by a number of persistent clichés: it is seen as too expensive, or too complex to integrate into teams, perceived as disconnected from company culture, with no internal history or network. It is sometimes viewed as something that could unsettle employees, or even as an admission of managerial failure. As a result, companies often prefer to organize themselves differently and patch together internal solutions, at the risk of postponing difficult decisions.
Yet these perceptions conceal a very different reality. An interim manager is chosen for their seniority and their ability to deliver concrete, measurable impact. What is described as a “cost” is in fact an investment – one that helps avoid something far more expensive: the (high) cost of inaction, procrastination and decisions delayed due to a lack of clarity or courage. A single month of status quo in a strained organization can cost far more than a targeted, experienced managerial reinforcement brought in for a defined period. A concrete example illustrates this: the intervention of a Quality Director who, within ten months, enabled a luxury brand to improve quality across several of its workshops, reducing the defect rate to below 1%.