Avoiding Pitfalls of Fractional Executive

28 Jan 2023 · 2 min

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2:16

In this concise advisory video, Yuriy Timen outlines three common pitfalls that fractional executives and the companies that hire them should proactively avoid. First, he stresses the importance of defining success up front—whether that means achieving specific functional milestones or transitioning to a full‑time hire—so both parties share a clear outcome. Second, he highlights the need to align on scope and ownership, clarifying which parts of the function the fractional leader will own, which direct reports they will manage, and what expectations exist around those responsibilities. Third, he discusses availability, urging both the executive and the organization to agree on how the executive’s time will be structured (e.g., set days versus flexible daily access) and what response times are realistic. By addressing these three areas—success criteria, scope/ownership, and availability—companies can set up fractional executive relationships for success and avoid misaligned expectations.

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I have 3 common pitfalls of a fractional executive that come to mind. Number one is it's important to define what success looks like upfront. Is it, you know, getting the function to specific milestones? Is it hiring a permanent full-time executive? in your place, be sure to align on the definition of success of that fractional relationship upfront. Secondly, it's aligning on scope and ownership. Fractional by definition means partial, and that means you own some parts of the function as the executive, And not others. Or you will, even if you are covering the entire scope of the function, it's possible that you are perhaps not owning all of the direct reports in all those respective teams, et cetera. So really align on the scope and ownership. Be clear about who your direct reports are as that fractional exec. And also what they should expect from you. Lastly, it's availability. How do you want to structure your time and make sure that the company that's hiring you is okay with that? If you're fractional, is it specific days of the week when you're available? Call it Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Monday through Wednesday, and you are not reachable outside of those days. Or are you fractional more, call it conceptually, but you're still spreading your bandwidth across the week? So you could be reached all days of the week, but perhaps your response time may need to be a little bit more relaxed.