My RH Community: Exclusive interview with Dorothée Baude

Dorothée Baude founded Reactive Executive in 2012. She tells us about her career and presents her interim management firm as well as the challenges of the job of interim manager.

How did the idea of ​​creating a firm specializing in Transition Management come to you?

I knew that I would create my company from the age of 26. Indeed, after having worked for 8 years in large groups, I did not feel in my place. Moreover, the processes and decision-making take so long that I wasted all my energy trying to move projects forward, making reports and presentations.
Then, two years later , the idea of ​​creating a firm specializing in Interim Management came to me when I was attached to the Interim Management division of an American firm.
I fell in love with this job. The position of the interim manager resonated with me. These real Transition Managers are not in search of power, they are project men who intervene on missions at short notice. They have freedom of action and speech and I saw myself in them!

Were your studies related to this job?

– Yes and no.
Yes, because I have a Masters in Industrial Management which allowed me to combine industrial knowledge and a managerial vision. This allowed me to master the industrial universe and to have a global vision of the company and its projects.
I also have a Specialized Masters in Entrepreneurs which gives the tools to create, take over, turn around and evaluate a company. This training at the Grenoble ESC was very rich and it allows me today to better understand certain issues of my job.
– And no, because there are no studies that provide training for this profession.
The profession of Interim Manager cannot be learned , it is in him. The same goes for partners, consultants in interim management firms.
You must have this ability to support your managers and clients, detect projects and write a roadmap. You have to both listen and be proactive: I don’t think it was my studies that taught me that. Operational experience remains the best school!

How would you sum up Reactive Executive in a few words?

Reactivate of course! Reactive Executive is an agile structure where freedom , creativity , performance , transparency , pleasure , trust and the elimination of hierarchy have their place.
Reactive Executive supports its clients, in France and abroad, by:

• tailor-made,
• adapting to the stakes, contexts of the latter and above all
• intervening with the Transition Manager who will be able to respond to the company’s problem.

How can one become an interim manager?

Not everyone can become an interim manager. Many senior executives who lose their jobs want to move towards interim management because they think finding a job more easily. Interim management is not a solution in this case.
We recognize an interim manager by his posture , his freedom of expression , his operationality , his independence and his autonomy . He doesn’t want to belong to any organization. He is only there to set up a project and then leave. You need a real entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to “get your hands dirty”.

Why do companies call on an interim manager?

Companies very often do not have the in-house skills or the time to complete a project.
The company entrusts us with the task of providing the skills it lacks and we provide it with managerial solutions by constituting a team of very high-level Transition Managers for missions within the framework of a project or within the framework of replacement of a key competence of the company.

What are the missions he performs?

The majority are missions of:

• reversal ( implementation of PSE, etc.),
• crisis management ,
• strategic project management,
• change management ,
• cost reduction,
• performance improvement,
• replacement of leaders,
• merger-acquisition …

The strength of our business is knowing how to adapt to the market and being flexible and flexible in the face of the specific needs of our customers.

What do you think are the essential qualities to do this job?

Apolitical, entrepreneur, independent, autonomous, oversized, operational, a leader of men!

Do you have any valuable advice for future interim managers?

Think about recharging your batteries during the implementation of a project. The pressure , the stakes , the commitments are so strong that it is sometimes necessary to succeed in leaving the project to take a step back and thus make the best decisions in a limited time.

Finally, do you have an anecdote that happened to you during your career? A success that you would like to share with us?

A success ? Reactive Executive!
I have always thought that being a woman, being part of Generation Y, which is moreover totally apolitical, was an obstacle to evolving in the business world.
But today, with Reactive Executive, I realize that this is an asset. Indeed, my clients trust me for my transparency and responsiveness.

Interview conducted by Léa Cirotteau, Community Manager at My RH Community