We hired a fractional Chief Financial Officer to help us prepare our books for an acquisition, but now we are entering the due diligence phase and we need a full-time leader in that seat. Our fractional CFO wants the permanent job, but we are not sure they have the capacity to scale with us post-exit. How do we evaluate whether a fractional leader is the right fit for the permanent, full-time leadership seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Transitioning from a fractional executive to a full-time leader is a critical milestone as you prepare for an exit. A fractional leader is excellent for establishing systems and clean books, but they may lack the long-term capacity or desire to manage a full-time operational team post-acquisition.

To evaluate if your fractional leader is right for the permanent seat, you must run them through the GWC™ framework. Do they get, want, and have the capacity for a full-time executive role?

- Get It: Do they understand the demands of leading a full-time, rapidly scaling department, or are they comfortable working in a high-level advisory capacity?
- Want It: Do they actually want to give up their fractional portfolio to focus on a single company, or do they prefer the variety of multiple clients?
- Capacity: Do they have the physical time and mental bandwidth to own the seat twenty-four seven during a stressful due diligence process?

Ask these questions directly. Do not assume they want the full-time role just because they are currently doing a good job fractionally.

If they do not meet all three GWC™ criteria for the full-time seat, you must hire an outside replacement. Keep the fractional executive in place to help transition the new leader and maintain consistency during the sale process. This keeps your momentum strong while ensuring your permanent team is built for the long haul.