A conversation with experts Tomoko Yokoi and Amy Bonsall on when “fractional leadership” pays off.
Imagine you’re leading a small organization, but you’re struggling to recruit and afford the senior talent you need to grow. You could hire a part-time executive. So-called “fractional leadership” is common in startups and is spreading to other businesses and nonprofits. But while a fast-growing number of senior leaders seek this work arrangement, many companies are unsure of how to go about it. are experts on the practice.
CURT NICKISCH: Can we talk just about the name for a moment? It sounds like a nice branding for part-time or temp work, even. AMY BONSALL: I think that COVID made a huge difference in two areas. One is I believe that the pandemic was a reckoning for many of us. Many people re-thought what they really wanted out of life. This idea of having greater flexibility I think really resonated. But also, the pandemic really normalized the idea of working from anywhere and working remotely. That fundamentally suits fractional leadership. You want to be there at the moments that you need to for each team that you’re working with.
TOMOKO YOKOI: Yeah. On the other hand, as the fractional movement starts to accelerate, given that there’s so many people who are wanting to become fractionals now, that you might have that possibility where it becomes so diffused and well spread out, that then in those large cities, there will actually be people geographically already there. There may not have to be remote working.
CURT NICKISCH: Do you have any specific examples of how companies are employing fractional leaders that you could share? TOMOKO YOKOI: Yeah. I think it depends. I think we’ve seen it in the finance and accounting stages, for sure. We’ve spoken to fractional executives from all walks of life. Marketing, product, as Amy is a chief product officer, and also as a chief operating officer, and also as human resources. One of the other areas some additional companies, organizations that are interested in fractionals, which we’ve heard of, are also venture capitalist. And also, nonprofits.
TOMOKO YOKOI: Yeah. I think when we speak to some of these fractional executives, the clear communication seems to be a big criteria for how they manage their time. I think a lot of the executives, they always said that they are like a lifeline for some of the CEOs they work with. If the CEO needs them and they need their advice, they’re on the telephone immediately.
CURT NICKISCH: Let’s say my company has answered those questions and we decide to hire a fractional chief marketing officer, for instance. How do I find good candidates? Is there a fractional worker agency to go to?AMY BONSALL: There are so many. In fact, we interviewed someone for the article in January who was just starting a fractional brokerage.TOMOKO YOKOI: That’s right.
TOMOKO YOKOI: I think it is important to be able to ask some questions about how they might work if they’re working part-time or on a fractional basis. And to also ask questions about their expectations about the role’s longevity. Because of course, what defines a fractional role is that it may not be a permanent role. That, you can really dig into the motivations of why they’re applying for that role.
CURT NICKISCH: Amy got it started there, from the individual perspective. What does it take to be successful in this type of role? How do you structure your time, your presence effectively? How do you know that this working relationship is right for you? AMY BONSALL: Yes and yes. It’s both. I will say, I’m helping someone do this right now. One of the things that I encourage is titrating into it. Don’t try and go all in all at once. Maybe try and get what I call an anchor client. Maybe it’s four days a week, maybe it’s three days a week. But it’s enough to cover your base costs.AMY BONSALL: Start with one, and it allows you to learn some of the skills that you need in order to work this way.
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