By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how fractional executives can give your business the high-level expertise needed to grow.  

In a new episode of Contractor Outlook™, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Kristen McAlister of Cerius Executives to learn about fractional executive placement and how it can help construction companies build long-term growth.  

If you haven’t heard of it before, fractional executive placement is a method of connecting businesses to high-level executives (think CEOs, CFOs, COOs and CIOs). These executives come into businesses as part-time employees to offer high-level strategy, leadership and results. Kristen gave some context, sharing:  

Our industry is changing. New technology is here, margins are scaling down, supply chains are in fluctuations. These can be hard to navigate as a new business owner or executive. What fractional executive placement does is get you a team member that has been through these cycles before and know what to do. It lets you borrow their expertise. 

The big question is why would you choose this over finding someone to hire full time. This is a question that comes up a lot in Kristen's work with Cerius. There are a couple different reasons fractional executive placement is so important according to Kristen. First and foremost, it’s a more affordable way to get high-level assistance. Secondly, it is low risk. Kristen explained, “We don't know where the economy is going and subsequently, we've seen a lot of hesitation to make decisions. What fractional executive placement does is offer a low-risk way to operate during these unknowns... It gets someone in the door to help you put everything in place during the interim and without locking you into one path, so that you can still adapt in the long-term.” 

Overall, fractional executive placement is kind of like hiring a subcrew. In construction, your crew isn’t always the expert in everything. The same is true for your management team. As Kristen put it, "I love the analogy with subcontractors because your team might be really good at roofing, but not electrical specialists, and that’s okay. Because there are experts who are able to do that and you can hire them as a subcrew. We're seeing the same at the leadership level. There are talented experts who are ready and knowledgeable about business management. Why would you not hire them to help your business?”  

Listen to the episode or Watch the recording to learn more about fractional executive placement and how it can help your business grow.