No one should care more about your people, culture, mission, vision, values, and purpose than you do.
However, if you bring in a fractional leader who does not understand and cannot explain to you simply and effectively:·
- Who you are?
- What do you do?
- Why do you do it?
- Who do you do it for?
- Why do they care?
- And what differentiates you in the marketplace?
Then, you are probably hiring the wrong person.
Being technically proficient at handling the work you desire is table stakes; what makes fractional leaders valuable is their ability to understand what is important to you, why it is essential to you, and how to build trust with your teams, clients, and stakeholders.
As an owner, you should invest time and energy into onboarding these people like any other employee. You are giving them insights into your history, clients, and culture. This is the only way they can help your teams succeed on terms that matter to you and your organization.
The first thing to understand is that no two companies are alike; they think, act, and react differently to various situations. By assuming that a fractional leader implicitly understands what is critical to you and why, they set you, your company, and your people up for failure.
Before bringing on a fractional leader, you invest in bringing them into your organization for a week.
Allowing them to:·
- Meet various people.
- Understand how you work.·
- Understand how decisions are made.
- Meet a key client or two.
- Assess for themselves current challenges and opportunities.
- Understand current communication methods.
From there, you want to sit with them and hear what they say:
- What is their initial assessment of the situation?
- Where do they see challenges?
- Where do they see opportunities?
- And what do they believe short-term and long-term actions should
- be to help you meet your goals?
By doing this, you will get a chance to see them interact with your teams and talk to various members to learn their assessment of the person you wish to bring on board.
It is not about perfect culture fit but rather culture extension. You are not bringing this person in for homeostasis but to disrupt and enable change. However, if the person is not trusted and respected, no matter how good you believe they are, change will not happen because there is no buy-in from the team that has to live with the changes in the long term.
In conclusion, unless the fractional leader you are bringing on board is curious about you as a company and wants to understand your culture, purpose, goals, and people, they will never be able to help you solve your problems, but only the issues they perceive you to have based upon their preconceived biases.
About Ben Baker
Ben Baker has been a Fractional Chief Communications Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Podcast Officer for his clients for over a decade.
"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
- George Bernard Shaw
We help you fix that problem and make sure you are listened to, understood, valued, and engaged with by internal and external clients, prospects and stakeholders in meaningful and profitable ways.
Nick Lamparelli is a 20+ year veteran of the insurance wars. He has a unique vantage point on the insurance industry. From selling home & auto insurance, helping companies with commercial insurance, to being an underwriter with an excess & surplus lines wholesaler to catastrophe modeling Nick has wide experience in the industry. Over past 10 years, Nick has been focused on the insurance analytics of natural catastrophes and big data. Nick serves as our Chief Evangelist.
