The importance of thinking outside the box

By Emma Peterson. 

Solve business issues with innovative management strategies like fractional executive placement. 

In 2024, Forbes Business Review contributor James Nelson wrote, “In a world that often seems saturated with industries and players, it might seem hard to stand out from the rest. While building an A level team and managing your time well may be a great start to high performance, there can also be benefits from thinking outside the box. If you take on this mindset, it could help you move to a new level in your profession and business.” But what does this out-of-the-box thinking actually look like in 2026? To find out, we hosted Kristen McAlister, the owner of Cerius Executives, for an episode of Contractor Outlook™.  

Through her work with Cerius, Kristen uses over three decades of business experience to empower professionals with practical strategies and tools needed to succeed in the long term. In her own words, she helps people “set aside titles and job descriptions so that they can really see what your company’s current problems and challenges are. Once that is done, then we help you find the right solution.” 

Cerius specializes in fractional executive placement. This is the innovative business practice of temporarily placing experienced executives into high-level positions like CEO and CFO. By doing this, companies can get crucial insights about high-level strategy and leadership without the cost of hiring a high-level executive full-time.  Kristen explained, “The whole idea is really matchmaking. We start with your company by identifying what you need. Then we find an executive that is an expert in solving that who will get your company unstuck and back to growing.” 

While this might seem a bit out-of-the-box when it comes to business strategies, it works. Kristen shared an example:  

One of my favorite stories is about an engineering construction client. His business was struggling and he was worried because he had issues in the past. A couple decades ago he had to file for bankruptcy. So, we connected him with a CFO who worked just 10 hours a month with him. And once he had that individual there, they did start whiteboarding and were able to see that the job costing was off. That’s where the problem was and from there, he was able to adjust and avoid the trap he fell into 20 years ago.  

Listen to the episode or Watch the recording to learn more about Kristen, Cerius and how they help professionals boost their businesses by thinking outside of the box.