What is a Fractional Integrator, & Why You Need One On Your Team

From the pandemic to the recession, transitioning to work-from-home and back again, “quiet quitting”, widespread layoffs - American expectations for careers and employment are changing fast. Many people are leaving corporate to start their own ventures, and remote, virtual work is more widely accepted than it ever was. I’ve never even met most of my clients in-person, and 90% of them don’t even have my cell phone number. Crazy, right?

The Way We Work is Changing

We all know it and see it happening in real-time. This ever-evolving digital landscape is changing the way we do business, and opening the doors for individual contributors, consultants, and roles that weren’t even on the table before. If you’ve been following me on LinkedIn at all, you’ve seen me talking about the growing Fractional space. There are Fractionals for every area of business at this point - ops, sales, marketing, HR, accounting, even web & software development.

And, the Fractional space is much more collaborative, fluid & flexible than the corporate environment - I have several Fractional execs in my peer group who I refer clients to if they’re not a good fit for me, and vice versa - so unlike corporate, where people are often forced to work with team who don’t pull their weight, Fractional execs can suggest their favorite experts in a particular field, who they already work well with.

All of this is great news for small businesses! Fractional execs bring years of experience and a breadth and depth of knowledge that was formerly out of reach, unless you had a big budget. Now, that expertise is available to smaller companies at a more affordable hourly rate or monthly retainer, as opposed to the salary of a full-time C-suite suit.

What Is An Integrator

Well, for starters, what does it mean to integrate something? To combine, fuse, bring together disparate parts, to make whole. Now apply that to a business role.

As described by Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters in the book Rocket Fuel (2015), an Integrator is a thorough executor and strong problem solver; a detail-oriented leader and empathic communicator who can see the bigger picture, and make sure all the cogs are working together smoothly. The Integrator is the natural and necessary counterpart to a “Visionary” leader - “Visionaries have groundbreaking ideas. Integrators make those ideas a reality.”

The Visionary is the passionate “ideas” person - the one who drives the business forward through relationship-building, sales, finding opportunities, and brainstorming new products or services. All great things that are critical for growth, but the Visionary also has difficulty executing, following projects through to completion, is easily distracted, less interested in details, and can generally get lost without a complementary Integrator by their side. Sound familiar?

You Need One On Your Team

We all know more than a few Visionaries in this space - :cough: every start-up Founder ever - the Integrator is the strong-finisher to the Visionary’s strong start. The Roy to your Walt Disney. The Charlie Munger to your Warren Buffett.

The co-pilot you can trust to help you mind the passengers, while you focus on flying the currents, minimizing turbulence, and landing the plane. You need a break? Co-pilot. A strategic thought partner? Co-pilot. Someone to help you fill a passenger position during a transition? Co-pilot. (See image below for the full analogy as it relates to business org structure, courtesy of John Arms.)

Integrators Are Natural Operators

As a strong implementer who can take big picture ideas and whittle them down into executable projects and tasks, it’s only natural for an Integrator to fit into an operations role - thus, the Fractional Integrator or Fractional COO.

Another advantage of having a Fractional Integrator on your team is that they can help you identify areas that need improvement and develop processes to address them. They can also help you streamline your operations and reduce inefficiencies, which can save you time and money in the long run. Additionally, they can provide valuable insights and recommendations based on their years of experience in the field, which can help you make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

If you're a Visionary leader looking to take your business to the next level, then you need an Integrator on your team. A Fractional Integrator can provide you with the support and expertise you need to achieve your goals, without breaking the bank. They can help you turn your ideas into reality and ensure that your business is operating at peak efficiency.

Your Fractional Integrator

If you're a Visionary leader looking to make your mark on the world, then it's time to bring an Integrator onto your team. At BonBon Strategic, I’ve been supporting my clients in this role for years. The demands of an Integrator happen to be my natural strengths, and I love working in my Zone of Genius while bringing your Visionary ideas to fruition.

Ready for a Right-Hand (Wo)man to complete your Dream Team? Book a FREE 1:1 Discovery call with me here