We hired a fractional Chief Marketing Officer who wants to act as a high-level advisor, but we need someone to actually own the measurable outcomes of the Marketing seat. How do we clarify this on the Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A fractional leader is not a consultant who sits on the sidelines giving advice. If they are on your Accountability Chart, they must own the seat completely. This means they are fully accountable for the five roles of that seat and must deliver on its key measurables.

If your fractional CMO only wants to advise, they do not belong in the Marketing seat. You cannot have an advisor holding a leadership team seat because it creates a vacuum of execution. Your marketing team will have no direct leader, and your Integrator will end up managing the daily tasks anyway.

To resolve this, you must have a direct conversation about expectations. Review the Marketing seat on your Accountability Chart. The roles should include lead generation, brand management, and marketing strategy. Show them the specific measurables they must own, such as cost per lead and total marketing-qualified leads.

Ask the fractional leader if they GWC this seat. Do they want the accountability of hitting these targets? Do they have the capacity, within their fractional hours, to manage the team and drive these Rocks?

If they do not GWC the full accountability of the seat, you must remove them from it. You can retain them as an external consultant if their strategic advice is highly valuable, but you must find someone else to sit in the Marketing seat.

You might promote an internal marketing manager to own the seat and have them coached by the fractional advisor, or hire a different fractional leader who is willing to get their hands dirty and own the results.