How will using a professional interim executive help the board of directors?   Executive departures are difficult for the board. Board members already have busy professional and personal lives. It puts a lot of pressure them to deal with the disruption, to backfill the executive position as well as staff positions left vacant as a result of the executive's departure, and get ready for an executive search. There is a lot to do. Engaging a professional interim executive gives the board a breather and helps them avoid making an important long-term decision on a new regular executive in a time of crisis. It gives the board some extra time to assess whether they want the organization to take a different direction and how the qualifications of a successor executive should differ from those of the departing executive. A professional interim executive can give them the time they need for their assessments and will model another kind of executive leadership in the process.