We are using fractional executives for both our Finance Director and Marketing Director seats. How do we apply the GWC tool to fractional leaders who only work ten hours a week, and can someone truly Get, Want, and have the Capacity for a seat when they are divided across multiple client businesses?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You absolutely must apply the GWC™ tool to fractional executives with the exact same rigor you would use for full-time employees. A fractional leader must still fully Get, Want, and have the Capacity to execute the roles of their seat. To evaluate this fairly, you must adjust how you define the Capacity filter. Capacity is not just about the number of hours worked per week. It is about emotional, mental, and physical bandwidth during those dedicated hours. First, ensure the fractional leader truly Gets the seat. They must possess the deep industry expertise and leadership capability to step in and make immediate, high-value decisions without handholding. Second, they must Want the seat. They must be genuinely passionate about helping your business achieve its specific Rocks, rather than just treating you as another consulting invoice. Finally, evaluate their Capacity. A fractional leader fails the Capacity filter if they are constantly distracted, missing weekly Level 10 Meetings, or failing to deliver their commitments because they are overcommitted with other clients. When defining their seat on the Accountability Chart, limit their bulleted roles to highly focused, strategic outcomes rather than daily administrative tasks. If they cannot deliver those outcomes within their contracted hours, they do not have the Capacity for the seat. You must then find a fractional leader who can maintain the required focus.