The Rise of Fractional Leadership: Filling Gaps, Driving Growth

Doug Downs (00:10):

You remember the A team, don't you? That ragtag group of specialists, Hannibal Face, BA and Murdoch, who swooped in to save the day when things went south. They weren't your typical full-time staff. No, they were called in when the stakes were high, when the challenge was too big and when the usual team simply couldn't get the job done. Take the episode, trouble on wheels. A struggling auto plant was facing sabotage, theft and corruption, threatening to shut down production entirely. Morale was low, leadership was overwhelmed, and the company was on the brink of disaster. Does that sound familiar? That's when the A team rolled in with their unique blend of experience, strategy, and good old fashioned know-how. They didn't just patch things up. They took control. Hannibal devised the plan face, worked his charm to gather inside Intel. VA enforced the ground rules and Murdoch well. He brought his unique Clair to the operation.

Murdoch (01:11):

Nobody comes in here and threatens me under my own rules, especially when I'm eating a turn of fish sandwich.

Doug Downs (01:19):

And just like that, they turned chaos into order, identified the bad actors, and set the plant back on course. Once the dust was settled, they disappeared into the sunset, leaving behind a stronger, more resilient team that could now move forward with confidence. Now, you might not be running an auto plan under siege, but if you've ever found yourself in need of leadership, someone who can step in, bring clarity, and steady the ship without the long-term commitment, you might just need your own version of the A team today on stories and strategies, exploring the benefits of fractional leadership, going from interim to impact.

(02:12):

My name is Doug Downs. My guest this week is Jim Rudolph joining today from Edmonton in Canada. Hey Jim. Hi Doug. How are you today? I'm good. I'm only a few hours south of you down in Canada's Rocky Mountains, but February in Edmonton. How are things where you are?

Jim Rudolph (02:29):

Well, today it is a snowy day, I have to admit, and we're going to be going into a bit of a colder spell here over the next few days, but we were really lucky. January for the most part was a little bit warmer than usual. Really nice, a lot of great sunny days, so you could be out skating, playing hockey, skiing, whatever winter activities you enjoy. So it's been a good winter here so far.

Doug Downs (02:57):

And if you do go to Edmonton, there's lots to do indoors in the winter as well. The famous hockey team, you can do everything indoors, including all the tailgating through the ICE district. Great City, Jim. You've led corporate communication programs for some of Alberta's most high profile organizations, including at Co Electric Edmonton International Airport, and Edmonton Economic Development Corporation. In addition to shaping strategic messaging, you've been the face of these organizations as their media spokesperson, handling everything from major issues to positive news stories. And more recently you've served in several fractional leadership roles. So Jim fractional leadership in different ways. It's been around a while. You and I were just chatting. I used to call 'em hired guns, but with Covid, it's one of these ideas that has matured. There's a bit of codification to it now it's become somewhat of a permanent trend. Explain to me what fractional leadership actually is.

Jim Rudolph (04:02):

Yeah, so it's something that seems to have really evolved out of the pandemic when workplaces became more hybrid and work from home became a major way of doing work. But really it's just a fancy way of saying you're hiring a leader for part-time as opposed to a full-time, a full-time role. So it's really interesting, and I've done this a lot over the last 15 years, and it's really in the last couple of years when there's been more discussion about fractional leadership where I can look back and say, wow, I've done this quite a few times. Typically, and certainly in my instance, there's been a finite timeline to it, so it's usually you are serving as a bridge to something more permanent, but that's not always the case. There's some organizations that they feel they want that senior kind of expertise at the table, but they don't want to hire someone and have that long-term cost liability of a senior leader ongoing. So it's a really agile and flexible way of running a communications department and lots of other different departments too. Marketing, it's used a lot in tech, even there's fractional CFOs, so it just runs the gamut.

Doug Downs (05:36):

You've done both. You've been the full-time executive level leader and you've been the fractional. It's often full-time work until it's not, and then it's no time or part-time work for you. How do you find the difference between the two and is it harder to build the team concept as a fractional leader?

Jim Rudolph (05:58):

Yeah. Well, first I just might note a few of the scenarios that where an organization might look at fractional communications leadership, and that's one of the key ones is the leader exits. And it might be for all kinds of different reasons, but leader exits. And there's a feeling that we need to bridge the gap between getting a permanent person in or geez, at our communications program. Let's get a senior person in here who can assess what's going on and recommend what the future should really look like. And as I mentioned, there's the whole cost situation where organization might say, Hey, we need this expertise, but we want to pay for that full-time leader as we discussed.

(06:52):

And it could be a big issue that you feel that your current team doesn't quite have the expertise and horsepower to deliver on, so you're going to bring in a senior leader for a certain amount of time to get through a particularly rocky stage in your development. Another twist is just a massive project, and an example for me would be expansion 2012 at M International Airport. So I was brought in and I brought in the team with me to focus on that expansion and the communications and some of the marketing around that. It was transitional, I shouldn't say transitional transformational expansion for that airport. So bringing in a team and me as the leader was a big support to the regular team. Of course, they were all involved as well, but I managed the budget on that helped with the strategy, and so it was really coming in and bringing in a team to help compliment the existing team. So that's another twist on it for sure.

Doug Downs (08:09):

Okay. What about that aspect though, of trying to build a team when the team knows you're the substitute teacher?

Jim Rudolph (08:16):

Yeah, well, you have to wrap up very quickly. You have to learn the business really quickly.

Doug Downs (08:23):

That's a big thing. Yes,

Jim Rudolph (08:24):

Absolutely. I've been fortunate, a lot of the fractional communications leadership scenarios that I've been in quite often, I've already known the industry and I've known the people, and so that's why they brought me on because it's certainly, certainly helpful, but that's not always the case. I've also been brought on to do communication strategies and then that's led into that fractional leadership situation. In terms of the team, do you know what a lot of the same things that you would do with your regular team if you were brought on permanently full-time? You do in this situation as well? You need to do it a lot of times a little bit more quickly. But first of all, it helps if a senior leader obviously has that discussion with them first, with the team first, we're bringing in this person. The reason we're bringing this person is because they have the expertise.

(09:26):

They have a great reputation in the community and in the industry. So we're bringing this person in to support the team while we transition to what we're going to be or until we get a new permanent leader in. One of the key things is listen first of course, listen to senior leaders across the organization, but listen to the team and where are the gaps, where are the opportunities? And where's that gap between what maybe senior leaders and other leaders across the organization are saying about communications versus say what the team might be saying could be human, get to know them, get to know them on a bit of a personal basis. What are the key things for me is talk to them about how you can help them, but what are their goals? How can you help them achieve that? So instead of coming in as I'm the boss and I'm here to change things, it's really listening to the team.

(10:42):

How can you help them? And quite often, I've used these situations to challenge people who are getting close to that next step who want to be leaders to say, okay, well here's a great time for you to shine. I'm here part-time. I'm going to help try to stabilize the right the ship or stabilize the ship, but here's the real opportunity for you to step up and show your leadership as well. And I'm happy to bring that message to the permanent leader coming in when that happens. And also the senior leadership in the organization that, Hey, you have a person here that is really good and has some of those leadership skills that's needed to take the next step.

Doug Downs (11:34):

As you were saying that, you answered my next question because I'm thinking if a fractional leader comes in, inevitably you're going to have someone on the team who thinks they should have just been made the leader that it's their time, their due, they've got the, they know way more than this fractional leader, whoever is coming in. And I was going to ask you to be specific about a time where it's happened because I know it can happen, but you answered the question. The key is to sit down with everybody, offer, how can I help you? And if you get a sniff of that individual, and often the executive hiring you will tell you just a heads up about so-and-so, they probably think that they should have just been put in this role. I'd love your evaluation. That person can work with you and show cooperation, show professionalism in spite of things not turning out the way they wanted to eventually become the or act leader.

Jim Rudolph (12:32):

That's absolutely correct. I've been very fortunate that most of the people that I've worked with in these situations, they've been very supportive. They've understood the situation, and they've been thankful for those conversations that we had about helping them get to that next stage. What's interesting is the most resistance I've had is when I've come into an organization with getting a full-time permanent position. So I think one thing with, if there's a finite time limit on a fractional leadership situation that I think people realize, oh, maybe there's still a shot for me to,

Doug Downs (13:17):

Oh, for sure,

Jim Rudolph (13:18):

Maybe after Jim exits, then I can take over. And so they see the value in working with me. I've been very fortunate that way. Typically just really solid people. I've worked with a lot of younger teams too, and so they've really been looking to me for support, for guidance and to provide that top cover, so to speak, with senior leaders in the organization and to be able to have someone at the table to represent them and represent communications.

Doug Downs (13:57):

So let's say I'm an executive leader who thinks they're in a position where they need a fractional leader, and often that's the CEO, or at least someone up at that C-suite level. Tell me the things that they would look for in a fractional leader that's going to be successful. Obviously, someone who has some background in the business itself understand some of the technicals to the business. Obviously someone who has executive leadership in their past with teams like this, but what are the, I suppose the softer, I think it's easier to identify the hard skills. What are some of the softer skills they would look for in a fractional leader who's not going to just come in and upset the rhythm and the culture of the team that's already been built? Unless that's the goal.

Jim Rudolph (14:47):

Absolutely. I know a lot of people say don't use the term fit anymore, but there is that really, because I use

Doug Downs (14:56):

It all the

Jim Rudolph (14:56):

Time. Yeah, I do. I do too.

Doug Downs (14:57):

I think it fits.

Jim Rudolph (14:58):

I think it fits. But yeah, so you're looking at all those things that you mentioned, the experience, the expertise. Has this person done this before? What have those outcomes, what have those outcomes been? Have they been successful in the past? But then I think you also want someone that is committed to the expectations that you've set and that, for example, a lot of my clients know, and I've been asked numerous times, Hey, do you want a permanent full-time position? But they know that I enjoy consulting, and so I could come in and be a bit more objective and know that I have a certain amount of time to meet the expectations that have been set for me. And I think that makes it, as I mentioned before, as and makes it less of an abrasive action to have someone new just coming into a situation.

(16:14):

And that's something too that you can communicate to the team as well. Hey, I'm, again, I'm here to work with you. I am here to help you move this forward and get this team to where it needs to be in the future and set it up for success when a new permanent leader comes in. Or I've had some instances where it's been longer term than that where I've been that senior that's senior guidance and mentor for younger communications professionals, and that relationship has been very solid because there's been a true understanding. And now I've had people that I basically set them up or hired them in a situation and we would even talk after I was done in the engagement and now the student has become the teacher, so I go and have a coffee with them. It's amazing, some of these people, what they're able to do. So it's been very rewarding that way as well. But I think finding someone with that kind of attitude and personality that is going to come in and not be egocentric about it, but really be looking at the goals and objectives of this engagement and someone who's committed to that and wants to fulfill those and not have any other ulterior motives or agendas.

Doug Downs (17:51):

Just real quick on cost, if it's a position that is normally paid, let's say $150,000 a year, and I'm just pulling that out of my hat, these are going to range wildly. It's still a consultant that you're bringing in to be a fractional leader. Are you paying the fraction of the one 50 or are you paying the big heavy consultants $6,000 an hour rate?

Jim Rudolph (18:18):

Well, I can only speak for myself, Doug, but I typically charge a typical rate, and depending on how extensive it is, then of course there can be some room to maneuver. But if you think about if you have a fractional liter comes in 10 hours a week, even at an expensive rate, that could still be cheaper than the 150,000, not to mention the long term

Doug Downs (18:51):

Reliability. Sure. They get more set up in three months. Yeah, sure.

Jim Rudolph (18:53):

Yeah, absolutely. So quite often organizations have felt like it's been cost effective to do it that way, and especially in situations where they really needed someone to come in and help guide the ship. So yeah, I think for the most part, organizations see the value in it. And that's also for you as if you want to be a fractional communications leader, that's a value you have to express to them as well. But quite often, someone with senior experience can come in and provide that 10 hours of guidance and attending key meetings and provide and provide that value, and it can be quite amazing what can happen. I have to admit too, I've had situations where I've been closer to full time or full time for certain periods just because it is absolutely required.

Doug Downs (19:55):

Yeah. And it's time that fractional leaders dedicating to you, and they may have other clients that they've had to subcontract all kinds of things that might be taking place. Jim, as always my friend, really appreciate your time,

Jim Rudolph (20:09):

Doug. It's always a pleasure. It's been a long time since I've been on, so it's always excited to come on to stories and strategies.

Doug Downs (20:16):

Yeah, yeah. You are the J, the G and the R in JGR Communications, so terrific. Oh, hey, in our last episode, Farzana Baduel of Curzon PR, she left a question for you.

Farzana Baduel (20:30):

I am obsessed with books. I believe books have the power to change the world, and I would like to ask the next guest, what singular book did you read that had the most profound impact on the way that you live your life?

Jim Rudolph (20:48):

Big question. Wow. Yeah, and I've to come across as very cynical here with this answer, but

Doug Downs (20:54):

Is it Dr. Sueuss, first of all?

Murdoch (20:56):

No,

Doug Downs (20:56):

No. It's okay. Alright.

Murdoch (20:57):

You probably should be, but it's actually 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green, and the reason for that is just I think it because I read it when it first came out, so that was a long time ago. It was like 25 years ago to be precise, and it just reminded me that you have to be strategic in how you conduct yourself if you want to build that personal brand for yourself. Some of the book could be highly cynical, so if you haven't read it, you're forewarned. But it does help, I think it does help you think strategically about how you present yourself and how you manage certain situations. A lot of examples in the 48 laws of power that unfortunately you see in the corporate world, so you have to be prepared for

Doug Downs (21:55):

It. Okay. You said you read it 25 years ago. Let me ask you, have any of the laws changed to today, or the laws exactly the same as 1999 or 2000?

Jim Rudolph (22:06):

That's a great question. I'm not sure if there's been updates to the book or not in terms of some of the things that I've taken out of it. There's one, and again, a bit cynical, but think what you want, but don't the sort of the spirit of the times or the organization that you're in. So run the play despite the play. You want to run the play. Yeah. Okay.

Doug Downs (22:34):

Alright.

Jim Rudolph (22:34):

Absolutely. Yeah. Now, sometimes that's not the best thing to do, but in some instances, if you want to keep your job times, that's the best thing to do. Yeah.

Doug Downs (22:43):

Most times. Most times. Okay. Your turn. Jim, what question would you like to leave behind for our next guest?

Jim Rudolph (22:49):

Well, hopefully this isn't redundant, but the question I have is, what is your killer AI app and is it still chat, GPT,

Doug Downs (22:58):

Timely? What's the name of the new Chinese AI that came out? I believe it's called Deepsea. That's it. That's it. Have you tried it?

Jim Rudolph (23:09):

You know what, I tried to get on it, but I guess the servers were down or there's too many people trying to access it, and in some respects I'll wait and hear what other people say and go forward from that. There's always the whole security issues that you have to be concerned about.

Doug Downs (23:31):

Real or imagined. Yeah,

Jim Rudolph (23:32):

Absolutely. Real or imagined for sure.

Doug Downs (23:34):

Yeah, I get that. Like you, I tried and it said my email was not a proper domain, so I suspect it's well, because I do get emails, so I suspect my email is a proper domain and that maybe the issue is on deep fake deep seek. Deep seek side. Deep seek. Yeah.

Jim Rudolph (23:52):

Yeah.

Doug Downs (23:52):

Deep fake. Yeah. Always appreciate your time. Thanks, Jim.

Jim Rudolph (23:56):

Thanks, Doug.

Doug Downs (23:58):

Here are the top three things I got from Jim Rudolph in this episode. Number one, the flexibility of fractional leadership. It allows organizations to bring in senior expertise on a part-time basis. Often is a bridge between permanent hires or to support specific projects without long-term cost liabilities. Number two, building team trust as a temporary leader. Effective fractional leaders focus on listening, understanding team dynamic, positioning themselves as a resource rather than that big authority figure, ensuring smoother transitions and team buy-in. And number three, managing internal politics and leadership aspirations. When joining a team, a fractional leader must navigate potential resistance from employees who believe that they should have been promoted using mentorship and advocacy to align individual ambitions with organizational needs. If you'd like to send a message to my guest, Jim Rudolph, we've got his contact information in the show notes. Stories and strategies is a co-production of JGR Communications and Stories and Strategies, podcasts, full episodes available on YouTube. Thank you to our producer Emily Page. And lastly, do us a favor forward this episode to one friend. Thanks for listening.