A Day In The Life of a Fractional Executive - Laura Woolford

Name: A Day In The Life of a Fractional Executive - Laura Woolford
Uploaded: 2023-10-30T19:27:06+00:00
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Channel: Virginie Glaenzer
Description: The video presents a narrated walkthrough of a typical workday for Laura Woolford, a fractional Chief People Officer (CPO). She explains that she serves…

30 Oct 2023 · 3 min

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2:32

The video presents a narrated walkthrough of a typical workday for Laura Woolford, a fractional Chief People Officer (CPO). She explains that she serves 1‑3 client companies at a time, with engagements ranging from short projects to up to 12‑month fractional roles. Her day begins with a calendar review to capture any overnight changes, followed by structured time‑blocking and the use of digital collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack to stay connected with each client’s activities. Woolford highlights that most of her clients are small or privately held firms that may not yet afford a full‑time senior HR leader, and she leverages her experience across public and private sectors to provide a unique, competitive advantage. She shares concrete examples: guiding a client to build a foundational talent‑management process focused on basic feedback practices, and helping another client interpret annual employee‑survey results without bias. Throughout, she emphasizes the value of an external, impartial perspective that sidesteps internal politics, allowing her to advise objectively and then step away once the client is set up for success. The narrative concludes by underscoring the dynamic, challenging yet rewarding nature of fractional executive work.

Chapters

Welcome to One Day in the Life of a Fractional Executive.
Hi, my name is Laura Woolford, and I'm a fractional chief people officer.
So what does a day look like in my line of work? Well, when you work in HR, every day tends to be different because you're working with the most unpredictable variable, which is people. On a typical day, I start with a quick calendar review.
I need to make sure nothing came in overnight that might change my plans for the day.
I usually have anywhere from 1 to 3 clients at a time, and an engagement can be project-based or a true fractional role that could last up to 12 months in length. Once I know what meetings are actually set for the day, I then use time management skills like time blocking or some of the digital chat tools that most of my clients use, like Teams or Slack, just to ensure that staying on top of all of my clients' needs as well as connected to what's going on in their business.
Many of my clients are smaller, sometimes privately held companies, and they may not be ready for someone with my level of experience, or they may not be able to afford it yet.
Having worked across both public and privately held companies, I think I bring a different and unique viewpoint that can be a real competitive advantage and a boost for a lot of my customers.
I recently worked with a client helping to develop their talent management process. They were strongly leaning towards a certain approach they had seen done before, and I was able to convince them that, you know, while that would work at a bigger company, with their size and where they're at in their evolution, they needed to start with the basics, like learning how to give feedback.
So that's what we settled on, and it was a real success for them.
Also, as a fractional, I tend to bring an unbiased point of view. I don't get caught up in all the politics or drama that may exist among some teams. I'm there to help the team and the company, to set them up for success moving forward, and then once my part is done, I step out. Being swayed by titles or worrying about my own job security, it doesn't deter me from doing what's right. And helping the team and the organization move forward. One example is recently I worked with a client and they were analyzing their annual survey results.
They were fixated on what they thought those results should be and what the outcome should be.
It was very easy for me to point out to them and invite the teams to see things differently without having any fear of hurting someone's feelings. Thank you for joining me on this journey today.
And there you have it. A day in the life of a fractional executive is dynamic, filled with challenges, but ultimately rewarding when we see our strategies come to life and drive success for our clients. Stay tuned for more insights and experiences from the world of fractional.