Strategic Allies: Partnerships between Executives and Fractional Consultants
What’s the difference between choosing a fractional consultant versus employing another full-time executive?
The answer lies in the unique roles they play.
Expertly managing people or operations in the day-to-day is where full-time executives typically shine, while a fractional consultant excels at problem-solving and the ambiguity that comes along with it.
Fractional consultants possess a highly specialized skill set, enabling them to self-direct, organize a team, and achieve transformational priorities with laser focus without the responsibilities faced by full-time executives. And they do all this in the most cost-effective manner. Bringing an objective point of view, free from internal politics, they’re able to solve specific pain in a highly surgical way.
This comparison between a full-time employee and a traditional firm vs. a fractional consultant provides a deeper insight into their distinct roles and benefits.
II. The ‘Fraternal Twin’ Solution: Fractional Consultants as Strategic Allies
Executives often express to us a desire for a ‘clone’ to handle specific tasks and responsibilities that they, or their team, don’t have the bandwidth or specialized expertise to take on.
But the truth is, you don’t want another “you”.
What executives really need is someone who augments what they can do – a twin rather than a clone. This is where fractional consultants shine.
They’re not replacements for full-time executives. Those in-house managers are essential for driving teams to do great work.
Instead, they’re the strategic allies who bring in a unique blend of deep domain experience and specialized skills. They provide an objective perspective and structured, laser focus in areas like monetization and change management. This article on leveraging fractional consultants for short-term projects provides a deeper insight into just how effective fractional consultants can be for short-term sprints – a hugely cost-effective solution to move transformational projects forward in your organization.
III. Cost-Effective Expertise: A Comparison with Traditional Consulting
When it comes to affordability and specialized expertise, the value of fractional consultants is second to none. Their agility offers a compelling alternative to larger, traditional consulting firms, with three key differences making them a highly effective strategic ally.
Difference 1: Fractional consultants are highly experienced and can work independently. Unlike large firms operating on an associate-consultant-principal structure, you’re bringing in the principal alone. You’re directly drawing on the expertise of a Fortune 100 executive, focused entirely on solving your specific challenge.
Difference 2: The lean structure of fractional consulting firms like Keenan Reid means there’s no complex hierarchy or large partner structure to fund and reward, allowing our clients to reap the financial benefits of lower cost and higher agility.
Difference 3: Traditional consulting firms don’t take on small engagements, often those under $500K/year. Fractional consultants fill a need on these ‘smaller’ projects that traditional consulting firms simply can’t, and won’t, fill.
So, not only are firms like Keenan Reid a more cost-effective solution, but fractional consultants also offer a unique mix of abilities to fit into the specific nature of your business. They work in the weeds to manage the initiative to completion and provide the higher-level strategic guidance that only a deeply experienced consultant can.
IV. Move Fast, End Fast: Surgical Expertise Without Long-Term Commitment
Quick decision-making and budget alignment – the final core benefit of fractional consultants as your strategic allies.
When project momentum and financial efficiency are essential, the fractional model ensures that you get the expertise you need when you need it without any long-term commitment.
Keenan Reid fractional consultants bill monthly, allowing you to move fast and end fast. They’re in and out as soon as the project is complete, injecting the expertise of a fully loaded Executive Director into your initiative at a variable cost.
In essence, the role of a fractional consultant isn’t to replace full-time executives but to complement them, providing strategic guidance and specialized expertise where needed. If you’re considering how fractional consulting could benefit your organization, we invite you to contact us for more information or to share your thoughts on integrating fractional consultants into your business strategy.
