Fractionals United Blog

What is your full name? Samantha Dillenback Please share a brief overview of your professional background and your current role as a fractional leader? I’m a Fractional COO who has been bringing order to chaos for more than a decade. I’m industry agnostic, though I thrive with established teams of remote-first SMBs on the east coast. My clients are all across the board - leadership development, evaluation, production, retail, legal, and large appliance repair. At the core, they’re all teams of people trying to work together effectively within a business with a mission. What do you consider your strengths? While I’m a digital native, my primary focus is people-centered systems. Leadership development, communication, and accountability are the secret to effective operations. What inspired or led you to pursue a career as a fractional leader? I fell into the fractional world. I started as a consultant while being a full-time COO. Working with a wide variety of industries and humans was an...

In this era, where climate change and sustainability are at the forefront of public consciousness, the way brands communicate their "green" initiatives has never been more crucial. Companies can't get away with half-hearted lip service to environmental issues, as it impacts all aspects of their business: revenue, hiring, retention, partnerships, investments, and more. Younger generations demand authenticity and transparency in sustainability messaging, actively looking for brands to step forward and lead the way. These generations know that just 100 global companies were responsible for 71% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions over the past three decades, and it's reasonable for them to expect these same companies to take responsibility and lead from the front. Mastercard data shows that 85% of consumers are willing to take personal action to address sustainability. But increasingly, they expect brands to follow suit — 67% expect brands to make a positive contr...

In the competitive B2B SaaS landscape, engaging a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a strategic imperative, not just an operational choice. This role goes beyond the typical responsibilities of a marketing leader. It's more of a strategic partnership that can really help guide the startup and steer it towards success. Comprehensive Strategic Oversight Fractional CMOs bring a wealth of strategic expertise that's truly invaluable. These seasoned professionals offer strategic oversight, blending analytical and creative skills to craft marketing strategies that align perfectly with the business's goals and drive scalable growth. For example, a Fractional CMO working with a stagnating HR tech company spotted an opportunity in AI for HR analytics. By leading a rebranding initiative, she positioned the company as a leader in this area and guided the startup to pivot its product. This opened up new revenue streams and reignited the company's growth. Cost-Effective Lea...

From a purely capitalist standpoint, diversity in corporate leadership drives better financial performance. Don't take my word for it: McKinsey & Company analyzed the financial performance of companies with diverse leadership teams and found that companies in the top quartile for ethnically and racially diverse leadership teams were 35% more likely to outperform peer companies in profitability. As someone who has built and led diverse teams, I have experienced the benefits of people who come from different backgrounds, cultures, and educational backgrounds. I was fortunate to work in a business that valued and prioritized diversity. Not every leader is as lucky as me to have worked in an environment that is set up for success with the framework and principles of DE&I integrated into the culture. For some companies on the rise, or even scaled global enterprises, hiring a full-time Chief Diversity Officer might not be feasible. So, is there a way to achieve DE&I leadershi...

When companies face hurdles during times of change, it's important to create an environment that supports growth. One powerful visual tool is Future State Visualization. It can be hard to see beyond the current problem, but using Future State Visualization helps not only to (re)set the vision but also to see a full picture of the future and a shared understanding for getting there. During a recent engagement, a company efficiently identified its future vision, current state, and actionable steps in just a couple of hours through the guidance of a fractional leader facilitating the Future State Visualization process. Outline of the Approach 1. Look to the Future: Get a sticky note or use a visual tool to map out what the future looks like. When teams lay out these sticky notes and discuss them, they often find significant differences in perception and thinking. A facilitator adds an additional layer to this step by helping the team use clear language that everyone understands. 2. Mo...

A quiet trend has begun, and smart, agile companies on the growth path are taking notice. This trend is an opportunity for leaders who want to make a full-time impact with part-time input by being a fractional leader. Fractional leaders are becoming a critical component of the business landscape as companies, new and established, realize that some leadership roles, while critical, do not currently need a full-time head. Enter the fractional leader: a seasoned professional carving out space in organizations as a part-time yet impactful force. While the model offers freedom and adaptability, it also presents unique challenges, particularly around influence and impact. I believe that one does not need to be on the full-time payroll to have a full-time impact. So, to you fellow change-makers, I offer some thoughts on how you can wield influence while still clocking out in time to enjoy your life or other ventures. Before We Begin Let's clear the air on what it means to be a fractional ...

It’s 2024 and the technology, channels, and ways in which we discover and learn about products and services we want to purchase is changing constantly, nearly daily. Consequently, as businesses sprint to keep up, I see leaders and marketing teams scratching their heads or excessively pivoting when stuck at the crossroads of "What’s New" and "What Works." So it’s no surprise that as businesses strive to keep pace with that shifting customer journey, their needs, market conditions and technology, the necessity for marketing to embody flexibility with a drive towards performance is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity. Enter the concept of agile marketing :  a responsive, iterative, and customer-centric approach that has become vital for business and revenue growth.  And at the heart of this lean, mean marketing strategy is—you guessed it—Fractional Leadership. Like Swiss Army knives, Fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are proving to be the perfectly versati...