We are using a fractional CFO and a fractional CMO on our leadership team. How do we structure their roles on our Accountability Chart so they actually own their seats and report like full-time leaders?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A fractional leader must be treated as a true owner of their seat, not as a vendor or a consultant. If they do not own the seat, they will not drive results, and your leadership team will treat them as external help rather than peers. First, list their seat on the Accountability Chart just as you would for a full-time employee, with five clear, measurable roles. Second, they must meet the GWC™ criteria for that seat. They must Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it, even if that capacity is delivered in ten or fifteen hours a week. Third, they must participate in your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. This is non-negotiable. If they cannot commit to attending the meeting and reporting on their metrics, they do not belong on your leadership team. They must also own quarterly Rocks just like everyone else. If your fractional CMO is responsible for lead generation, they must be held accountable to that specific metric. To make this work, you must establish clear communication channels. Because they are fractional, they will not be around for daily chatter. This means your Integrator must run tight same page meetings with them and ensure that internal team members who support marketing or finance report directly to the fractional leader's seat for those specific functions. By giving them clear accountability and treating them as true leadership team peers, you get full-time ownership at a fraction of the cost.