We have brought in a fractional Chief Marketing Officer and a fractional Chief Financial Officer to help professionalize our business before an exit. How do we represent these part-time, high-level fractional roles on our Accountability Chart so they have real teeth and accountability without disrupting our full-time leadership team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A fractional executive must be treated exactly like a full time employee on your Accountability Chart. Many owners make the mistake of leaving fractional leaders off the chart, treating them as external consultants. This is a massive mistake. If they do not own a seat, they have no real accountability, and your full time team will ignore their directions.

To make this work, place the fractional CMO and CFO in their respective seats on the Accountability Chart. They must report directly to the Integrator, just like any other department head. Under their seats, list their five major roles clearly. These roles must focus on strategic outcomes, not just hours worked.

Even though they are part time, they must participate in your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ and own specific quarterly Rocks. Their GWC™ must be evaluated with the same rigor as a full time hire. They must get the seat, want the seat, and have the mental and professional capacity to deliver the outcomes.

The only difference is the capacity dimension. Because they are fractional, their capacity is constrained by their agreed hours. Therefore, their five roles must be highly focused on high leverage tasks, like financial forecasting or brand strategy, while administrative tasks are delegated to support staff. If a fractional leader cannot join the weekly meetings or resist owning their metrics, they do not GWC™ the seat, and you must replace them. To prepare for a clean exit, you need a functional, complete chart, regardless of whether the seats are filled by full time or fractional talent.