March 17

Episode 74: Fractional Leadership: How to Recruit Senior Level Management with Scott Packett

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In this week’s episode, Mike talks with Scott Packett and how your company might be struggling with finding the right senior leadership. Scott talks to us about what fractional leadership is and how it might be right for your company.

Scott Packett’s Biography

Scott Packett, VP of Business Development

Scott spent 7 years serving in the US Air Force and TN Air National Guard in logistics and training. In 2011, he graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science.

He has been with RCI for over 3 years after spending 7 years in workforce development, where he gained significant experience in sales and marketing as he helped industries develop strategic training plans for their skilled workforce.

He and his wife, Allyssa, currently reside in Athens with their two sons, Ayden and Avery, where they are active in the community. As the VP of Business Development, Scott uses his experience and network to help expand the brand of RCI in order to help businesses and industries increase their enterprise value.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn…

  • How to define fractional leadership?
  • How it gives the organization, the leadership, the opportunity to find somebody to fit in and help them get there quickly.
  • How bringing in a fractional leader who comes out of mid or larger, can be the perspective that you need.
  • The disciplines that fractional leadership might be a good fit for.

Quotables

  • “Our first thing is we wanna come in and listen and understand what that need is because if we don’t understand what their goal is, what their end game is, we’re not gonna be much help in delivering results.” – Scott Packett
  • “I think it’s very advantageous to our clients when we can talk about, give them stories of how we’ve been successful, even in our personal lives or professional lives.” – Scott Packett
  • “We see ourselves as problem-solvers, but we’re people who integrate with the company’s team in order to help them solve problems ’cause if we solve all the problems or we give all the answers.” – Scott Packett

Links & Resources Mentioned…

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Read The Transcript

WEBVTT

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(upbeat music)

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- Welcome back to the Get
Unstuck & On Target podcast.

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I'm Mike O'Neill with Bench Builders

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and we help business owners like you

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solve the tough people problems that
may be slowing your company's growth.

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Joining me today is my
friend Scott Packett.

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Scott is the VP of business development

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of Rock Creek Informatics.

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Founded by Dr. Guy Deloach 15 years ago,

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RCI has been helping companies respond

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to industry transitions in
order to stay competitive.

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RCI now focuses primarily in three areas,

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traditional OpEx consulting,

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digital transformation solutions,
and fractional leadership.

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And it's that third area,
fractional leadership,

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that we'll be spending most
of our time discussing today.

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Let me tell you a little more about Scott.

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Specializing in logistics and training,

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Scott spent seven years
serving in the US Air Force

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and Tennessee Air National Guard.

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Scott is a graduate of
Tennessee Wesleyan University

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who's been with RCI for over three years

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and he spent seven years
in workforce development

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where he helped industries
develop strategic planning

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approaches for their skilled workforce.

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Hey, welcome Scott.

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- Hey, Mike, how are you?

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- I'm well, thank you.

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I'm glad to have you on board.

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This topic, fractional leadership.

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Golly, I don't know if I had even heard

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that term a year ago.

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Now, it seems as if no matter
where I go, I hear that term.

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So why don't we just jump right in?

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How do you and RCI define
fractional leadership?

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- Yeah, so fractional leadership to us,

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we've been doing it probably

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for the past two or three
years, but like you said,

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it didn't become kind
of a national buzzword

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until about a year ago.

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But yeah, fractional leadership

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is essentially where a company,

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small to medium sized startup is in need,

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they're in a transition
period where they need

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executive level leadership,
experienced leadership

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or senior level management leadership,

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and middle management, if you will,

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but they really don't know how
to go about recruiting that

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nor do they have the
resources needed to go out

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and hire somebody with
20 years plus experience

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that can really take
them to the next level.

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So fractional leadership

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is essentially we offer
professionals, executives

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with 20 plus years
experience in certain areas

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that most companies need.

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These guys come from
global pharmaceuticals

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to education, to training.

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We have people from quality,
all that good stuff,

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but basically, for a fraction of the cost,

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a fraction of the time, you
get people who have been there

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and done that to help you meet
your organizational goals.

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- So Scott, as I'm listening to you,

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I'm trying to think of
how that might apply

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in a variety of settings.

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One setting that comes immediately to mind

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would be organizations that are growing

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and they're realizing that
they probably have a need

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for expertise, but they're
not quite sure exactly

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how to go about filling a particular need.

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This is a great way to
kind of try before you buy,

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in that they can try out what that role

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might would look like.

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The term fractional,

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I wanna make sure I'm hearing correctly.

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And that is, this is not someone

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who's gonna be there on a
full-time basis, is that correct?

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- That's correct.

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Usually, it can be from
one to two days a week

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to four or five days a month,

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or we've been with one client every day

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for the past year and a
half, somebody's been there.

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So yeah, it's whatever the client needs.

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And you're right, it gives the
organization, the leadership,

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the opportunity to find somebody to fit in

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and help them get there quickly,

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whatever that growth goal is
and whatever that need is.

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And it's low risk

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because if I were to hire
somebody full-time for,

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let's say, a COO position,

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and let's say I'm in
Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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And the person that I found
that really fits is in Kansas,

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I've gotta pay probably 20 to $30,000

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to get them to move here for relocation.

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And then I've gotta pay them

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probably just around $150,000
a year plus benefits.

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So you're looking at a
$200,000 a year investment

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for a full-time person
that you really don't know

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if they're gonna fit the
culture of your organization.

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All you know is what
you've heard from them.

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You haven't actually seen
them actually on the job.

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So you really can't have
a high confidence level

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in their abilities.

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And so what fractional does
is you get to try us out

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and for an hourly rate,

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for the amount of time that you want.

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And if we're not a good fit,

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either we try to find a better fit

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or you can ask us to walk
away and you're just out,

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whatever those funds
were that you invested,

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but you're not out $200,000.

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But what we found is we
haven't found a situation yet

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where we could not integrate
and build that trust

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and help companies get to those goals

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that they're looking for.

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And part of that is
training the next person,

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full-time person, helping them transition

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and to pick up the mantle,
if you will, to push forward.

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- I'm starting thinking
about how many different ways

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this might be advantageous to a company

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that's kind of find
themself in that situation.

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You mentioned one of the things

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and that is you're bringing people in

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that may have experience in the
area that you're working in,

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or they may have experience in areas

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that you would like exposure to.

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So is that cross-industry
experience helpful to clients?

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- Absolutely.

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I think, it's very
advantageous to our clients

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when we can talk about, give them stories

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of how we've been successful,
even in our personal lives

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or professional lives apart from RCI.

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Let's say we worked for
Merck pharmaceuticals

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and we did this and now
you're a manufacturer

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in the automotive industry.

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Now, you're not gonna do the
same thing that Merck does.

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You're not gonna have the same standards,

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if you will, the FDA and all that.

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But some of the things that
maybe I've learned from Merck,

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I can implement here and help you think

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about how you approach
quality a little differently

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'cause at Merck, quality was important,

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but maybe here it's not as
important as it should be.

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So we can help you build
up your quality department

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to be a robust quality department

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to make your customers more happy.

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- So I can see clearly the advantage

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of maybe drawing from other industries.

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Another thing that kind of comes to mind

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is if you're say a small
business and you are growing fast

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and therefore you are on a fast track

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to maybe a mid-sized business.

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If they're working with you

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and bringing in a fractional leader

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who comes out of mid or larger,

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they bring that perspective
from day one, do they not?

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- They do and I'll be
completely transparent here.

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Sometimes it's harder for
that person to transition

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to small business mindset from corporate.

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And so we've seen that,

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but I think we've kind
of overcome that hurdle,

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but it can be a little bit
because in a small business,

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you don't have teams of
people you can delegate to.

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You might have one person
who's wearing three hats

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within the organization.

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And so I think that's been
a difficult transition,

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if you will, for our contractors.

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But I think, overall,
we bring much positive

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to that relationship than
negative in that way.

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So it's very helpful to the client.

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- Yeah, another I'm thinking too

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is a company might need to implement

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some type of major change.

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I would think that the
folks that you can offer

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have a real strong track
record as change agents.

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- Yeah, that's correct.

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I mean, a couple in our team,

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they've led large organizations

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and they've had to go through
change management transitions.

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Even a couple of our
guys come from a place

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where they changed their names seven times

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in like seven years. (laughs)

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And so it was just continuously being,

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that's a little bit facetious.

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They actually changed four
times over seven years,

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but still just having lived that

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and had to lead people through that

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is they know what kind of patience,

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what kind of pace and the steps needed

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to help bring a team along

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through a transition
period, a growth period.

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- So as we've talked about,

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what a person might would
bring to the organization

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in terms of cross-industry experience,

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maybe working in a different
sized organization,

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serving as a change agent.

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Can you elaborate in
some of the disciplines

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that fractional leadership
might be a good fit for?

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- Absolutely.

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So a lot of companies,

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especially small to medium sized startups

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that are growing in that growth period,

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they may not have a marketing department.

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They may not have an IT department.

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They may not have an
operations department.

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They may have somebody
that wears all those hats,

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but they don't have one particular person

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who can get them to
build a strategy around

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and execute that strategy.

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So from the executive
level, we can provide CEO,

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fractional CEO, COO,

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CTO, CFO, and CMO, marketing officer,

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chief marketing officer.

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So we can offer that level.

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We have, within our network,
the ability to do that.

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But also what we've seen

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is needed specifically manufacturing,

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the small to medium sized manufacturing

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is the mid management, the
plant manager, if you will,

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the quality manager,
the procurement manager,

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supply chain manager.

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So we were able to come in and
provide season professionals

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at a fraction of the cost,
the fraction of the time,

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but really help you rapidly
get to a return on investment

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fairly quickly, as well
as continuous improvement.

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That's one of our biggest things

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'cause that's what we've
been doing for 15 years

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is continuous improvement lean.

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So we're able to bring
in multiple and honestly,

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a couple of our clients have asked us

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to bring a couple different areas.

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People representing a
couple different areas.

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So like one customer I'm
thinking of in retail right now

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is we've brought in somebody who can help

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with the supply chain,

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but also help the owners
develop a better business model,

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better business plan, research,

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and look over their finances and help them

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get those in line.

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So we're able to bring in
a couple different areas,

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professional areas into one
engagement to help the client,

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whereas they couldn't afford to go out

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and hire a supply chain manager,

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a business manager, a COO, you know,

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we can bring multiple facets
to the table that, again,

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for less than a price of
hiring one of those people.

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- It seems to me that
for this to work well,

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this person who is
working with the client,

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they just become part of the
organization, do they not?

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- Yeah, that's why we
like the word integration.

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We're gonna integrate ourselves
into that leadership team.

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And so we wanna be seen as not, oh,

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here comes the consultant.

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That's not what we wanna be seen as.

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We wanna be seen, okay, here
comes our part-time CFO,

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but we need him or her to be
able to get where we're going.

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So we're gonna listen,
we're gonna adapt to change

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and we're gonna welcome them into,

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and again, we've rarely had any problems

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with building that trust quickly,

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'cause that's important too,

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is you want this to be a rapid thing.

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You don't want it to be a long,

00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:59.270
12 to 18 months just to get started.

00:12:59.270 --> 00:13:02.120
You wanna be able to hit
the ground and run with it.

00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:03.670
And we've seen success in that.

00:13:05.110 --> 00:13:07.860
- You've mentioned small
to mid-sized organizations

00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:10.130
and as I'm talking to folks, it seems

00:13:10.130 --> 00:13:15.130
as if there's a real wide
variety of interpretation.

00:13:15.970 --> 00:13:18.430
When you say small to mid-sized

00:13:18.430 --> 00:13:21.860
in terms of the ideal client for RCI,

00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.890
I know that y'all work
with companies of all sizes

00:13:24.890 --> 00:13:26.600
in multiple industries,

00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:29.260
but in terms of the sweet spot for,

00:13:29.260 --> 00:13:30.960
let's say, fractional leadership,

00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:33.280
what size organization have you found

00:13:33.280 --> 00:13:37.163
has been ideally suited for
what is it we're describing?

00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:40.370
- Yeah, probably a couple million dollars

00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:44.860
of annual revenue to 50 million,

00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:47.020
I would say, has been our sweet spot.

00:13:47.020 --> 00:13:49.900
Although we've been
engaged in multimillion,

00:13:49.900 --> 00:13:51.740
a hundred million dollars industries,

00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:53.550
you know, billion dollar industries.

00:13:53.550 --> 00:13:56.310
I think that sweet spot
for fractional leadership

00:13:56.310 --> 00:14:00.490
is between one to two
million to 50 million.

00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:02.160
And typically, they're family-owned

00:14:02.160 --> 00:14:06.240
or owned by a small
group of people locally.

00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.480
We have been dabbling into working

00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.370
with private equity firms.

00:14:10.370 --> 00:14:13.880
And so there's a couple
firms that are bringing us on

00:14:13.880 --> 00:14:17.550
to help with the rapid restructuring

00:14:17.550 --> 00:14:21.080
and improvements that they need

00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:23.870
in order to get where they're going, so.

00:14:23.870 --> 00:14:27.090
- So they are bringing you in as a company

00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:29.280
to get the numbers where they need to be.

00:14:29.280 --> 00:14:31.960
I'm assuming that's so that
they can get the multiples

00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:32.973
they're looking for.

00:14:35.488 --> 00:14:36.810
- Yeah, absolutely.

00:14:36.810 --> 00:14:38.910
- Yeah, that makes a lot good sense.

00:14:38.910 --> 00:14:41.190
Now, Scott, in terms of y'all's approach

00:14:41.190 --> 00:14:45.910
to fractional leadership
and how a typical engagement

00:14:45.910 --> 00:14:49.830
might would work, walk us
through kind of the process.

00:14:49.830 --> 00:14:51.163
What does that look like?

00:14:52.030 --> 00:14:57.030
- Yeah, so let's just say
it's a family-owned retail,

00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:00.250
let's just use that, or a
family-owned animal hospital

00:15:00.250 --> 00:15:04.070
'cause we have a couple of
those as our clients right now.

00:15:04.070 --> 00:15:08.380
And let's say this family,
they've experienced growth,

00:15:08.380 --> 00:15:11.910
but they really don't know
how to get to that next level

00:15:11.910 --> 00:15:13.090
where they wanna be.

00:15:13.090 --> 00:15:18.010
And so our first thing is
we wanna come in and listen

00:15:18.010 --> 00:15:21.280
and understand what that need is

00:15:21.280 --> 00:15:23.820
because if we don't
understand what their goal is,

00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:26.920
what their end game is,
we're not gonna be much help

00:15:26.920 --> 00:15:30.110
in delivering results.

00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:34.070
And so we want to clearly
understand what that need is.

00:15:34.070 --> 00:15:35.720
And then we wanna build a scope out

00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.170
of what the engagement will look like.

00:15:38.170 --> 00:15:40.250
Just like with any other
project management,

00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:42.940
you wanna have a scope
like, what are the goals?

00:15:42.940 --> 00:15:44.370
What are the steps to get there?

00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:46.600
And we want buy-in from the owners

00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:48.820
and from the people in their business.

00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:51.570
We want them to know that if you bring RCI

00:15:51.570 --> 00:15:53.100
in this fractional way,

00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:57.100
we want to be able to
align with the organization

00:15:57.100 --> 00:15:59.110
around the scope.

00:15:59.110 --> 00:16:00.520
We don't want scope creep,

00:16:00.520 --> 00:16:02.360
but we also don't want
there to be confusion

00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:03.520
around the scope.

00:16:03.520 --> 00:16:08.510
We wanna be able to then once
we launch the engagement,

00:16:08.510 --> 00:16:13.060
we want to integrate ourselves
into that organization

00:16:13.060 --> 00:16:15.470
on the leadership team.

00:16:15.470 --> 00:16:18.160
And especially if it's
at the executive level,

00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:20.510
but whatever department
or whatever level it is,

00:16:20.510 --> 00:16:22.350
we want to integrate ourselves in.

00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:24.120
If we're only there a day a week,

00:16:24.120 --> 00:16:26.380
we wanna be a part of
that team a day a week.

00:16:26.380 --> 00:16:30.840
But one thing you don't know
about us is if on paper,

00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:32.920
we're there a day a week,
but you can still call us,

00:16:32.920 --> 00:16:34.620
text us, email us during the week,

00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:38.240
because we wanna help, I mean,

00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:39.890
we wanna be a part of your team.

00:16:39.890 --> 00:16:42.780
And then finally, we
wanna deliver the results

00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:44.520
on time and in full.

00:16:44.520 --> 00:16:46.860
So we wanna do what we say we're gonna do.

00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:51.710
And so I think once an
organization understands that,

00:16:51.710 --> 00:16:53.130
then they're much more comfortable

00:16:53.130 --> 00:16:55.663
and trust us to be able
to help them get there.

00:16:57.340 --> 00:17:00.927
- I introduced you as being
the VP of business development,

00:17:00.927 --> 00:17:05.200
but I think that you have
shared with me when we met last

00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:07.160
is that you've actually have taken

00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:10.740
on some fractional roles
yourself, is that correct?

00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:12.420
- That's right, yeah.

00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.600
Before Christmas, I went down
to help a client in Florida

00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:19.680
do some supply chain procurement stuff

00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.090
because of my time in the military

00:17:21.090 --> 00:17:24.040
and just some things I've
learned along the way.

00:17:24.040 --> 00:17:26.230
I enjoy that scheduling, relationship,

00:17:26.230 --> 00:17:29.440
building relationships
and logistics stuff.

00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:32.250
So I was able to do that
and I've been helping

00:17:32.250 --> 00:17:36.410
another company out in Nashville
over the past six months,

00:17:36.410 --> 00:17:38.110
basically being their procurement guy,

00:17:38.110 --> 00:17:41.230
building out their strategy
for their procurement process,

00:17:41.230 --> 00:17:46.230
finding good suppliers for them
to build relationships with.

00:17:47.430 --> 00:17:50.873
And instead of just going on
Amazon and buying everything.

00:17:53.350 --> 00:17:55.100
- Well, that gives you perspective

00:17:55.100 --> 00:17:57.840
that I think is very,
very, very important.

00:17:57.840 --> 00:17:59.870
We've been talking about
fractional leadership

00:17:59.870 --> 00:18:02.550
and though I said you see it everywhere,

00:18:02.550 --> 00:18:04.600
I still bump into people left and right.

00:18:04.600 --> 00:18:08.300
They kinda go, what,
tell me more about that.

00:18:08.300 --> 00:18:12.280
You had mentioned to me
prior to us scheduling this,

00:18:12.280 --> 00:18:17.170
a book that you recommend
is a book by Ben Wolf.

00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:18.970
- Yeah, right here.

00:18:18.970 --> 00:18:20.520
Can we see that?

00:18:20.520 --> 00:18:21.360
Oh, it disappeared.

00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:22.827
- Here it is.

00:18:22.827 --> 00:18:24.727
- "Fractional Leadership" by Ben Wolf.

00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:27.230
- And there's a tagline to that

00:18:27.230 --> 00:18:28.650
and that is "Fractional Leadership:

00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:32.380
Landing Executive Talent You
Thought Was Out of Reach."

00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:34.403
So why do you recommend that book?

00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.330
- So it's funny.

00:18:37.330 --> 00:18:40.440
So we've been doing this for
about two and a half years

00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:41.420
for multiple companies.

00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:42.670
We just didn't know the name.

00:18:42.670 --> 00:18:46.333
We didn't have a name to put to it.

00:18:46.333 --> 00:18:50.650
It was really our consulting
model to integrate in

00:18:50.650 --> 00:18:52.780
and help companies reach their goals.

00:18:52.780 --> 00:18:57.633
But we came across a mutual
friend between Ben and RCI

00:18:58.510 --> 00:19:01.000
told us about Ben and we
got connected with him.

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.010
And then his book came out and
it was like the first week.

00:19:04.010 --> 00:19:07.140
It was like on Amazon's top seller list

00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:10.360
because it's good for
people like us to read it

00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:12.030
but what it's really more helpful for

00:19:12.030 --> 00:19:13.800
is that family-owned business,

00:19:13.800 --> 00:19:18.120
a small to medium sized CEO
owner to sit down and read this

00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:22.300
because they're there fighting
those fires every day.

00:19:22.300 --> 00:19:24.330
They know, they feel the pressure.

00:19:24.330 --> 00:19:25.163
They need help.

00:19:25.163 --> 00:19:27.410
They need people who've
been there, done that.

00:19:27.410 --> 00:19:29.070
They need support.

00:19:29.070 --> 00:19:30.030
They need coaching.

00:19:30.030 --> 00:19:32.320
They need leadership
within their organization,

00:19:32.320 --> 00:19:34.710
but they look at their
finances and they say,

00:19:34.710 --> 00:19:36.567
there's no way I can hire somebody

00:19:36.567 --> 00:19:39.320
$150,000 a year to come do it.

00:19:39.320 --> 00:19:42.920
And so Ben has laid out
just a beautiful model

00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.310
for what fractional leadership

00:19:45.310 --> 00:19:47.360
could be for your organization.

00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:48.890
And it's very easily read.

00:19:48.890 --> 00:19:53.110
I read it in two days
but there's so much there

00:19:53.110 --> 00:19:55.530
to at least get the conversation started.

00:19:55.530 --> 00:19:57.670
Again, our approach to
fractional leadership

00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:00.340
might be different than
the guy in New York,

00:20:00.340 --> 00:20:02.060
just because of context

00:20:02.060 --> 00:20:05.270
and because of who our
primary customer might be.

00:20:05.270 --> 00:20:09.490
But the reality is Ben's
book really helps put a face,

00:20:09.490 --> 00:20:12.700
a name to the concept,

00:20:12.700 --> 00:20:16.810
so that business owners can
really begin to understand

00:20:16.810 --> 00:20:19.410
that there's another
option for them out there

00:20:19.410 --> 00:20:23.600
than going and either
being stuck in the mud

00:20:23.600 --> 00:20:24.840
and not being able to go anywhere

00:20:24.840 --> 00:20:28.790
or having to invest hundreds
of thousands of dollars

00:20:28.790 --> 00:20:30.340
into a person that they don't even know

00:20:30.340 --> 00:20:32.113
will be a good fit in the family.

00:20:33.690 --> 00:20:37.780
- Scott, you used the term
coach a few minutes ago,

00:20:37.780 --> 00:20:39.450
and I have found myself,

00:20:39.450 --> 00:20:42.600
when we're describing what
we do at Bench Builders,

00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:45.210
I've kind of moved away
from describing ourself

00:20:45.210 --> 00:20:48.120
as consultants and more as coach.

00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:49.470
And I'll tell you why I do that.

00:20:49.470 --> 00:20:52.250
I'm curious if that might apply to RCI.

00:20:52.250 --> 00:20:55.060
It seems as if companies
bringing consultants

00:20:55.060 --> 00:20:56.600
and they're bringing the consultants in

00:20:56.600 --> 00:21:00.440
because they, the
consultants have the answers.

00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.700
Whereas the premise from
a coaching standpoint

00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:06.530
is though we, and in the case of RCI,

00:21:06.530 --> 00:21:09.270
you have considerable expertise,

00:21:09.270 --> 00:21:12.040
but your job, my job, in this case,

00:21:12.040 --> 00:21:15.460
is to work with them to go do

00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:17.400
what is it they're trying to do.

00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.830
Is that a fair description?

00:21:20.830 --> 00:21:21.800
- Oh, absolutely.

00:21:21.800 --> 00:21:25.580
I mean, we see ourselves
as problem solvers,

00:21:25.580 --> 00:21:30.580
but we're people who integrate
with the company's team

00:21:31.050 --> 00:21:33.460
in order to help them solve problems

00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:34.970
'cause if we solve all the problems

00:21:34.970 --> 00:21:37.710
or we give all the answers,
it's kinda like that old adage,

00:21:37.710 --> 00:21:38.830
you know, you can teach a man,

00:21:38.830 --> 00:21:41.030
you can give a man a fish
or you can go teach him

00:21:41.030 --> 00:21:43.690
how to fish so he can feed
himself the rest of his life.

00:21:43.690 --> 00:21:46.680
When we leave, we don't
want them to skip a beat.

00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:48.143
We actually want them thrive.

00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:52.440
And we don't necessarily
want them to call us back

00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.320
because we want them to have the tools

00:21:55.320 --> 00:21:59.790
that they need to be going
in a forward trajectory

00:21:59.790 --> 00:22:03.370
so that they can sustain what
we help develop with them.

00:22:03.370 --> 00:22:05.020
So yeah, you're absolutely right.

00:22:06.040 --> 00:22:07.760
- You used the term problem solvers.

00:22:07.760 --> 00:22:11.030
And one of the thing that we have found

00:22:11.030 --> 00:22:12.810
is one of the problems
that we've encountered

00:22:12.810 --> 00:22:14.650
with clients is that they get to a point

00:22:14.650 --> 00:22:16.480
where they get stuck.

00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:21.160
And that is what got
behind naming this podcast,

00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.380
Get Unstuck & On Target, is
we all get stuck at times

00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:27.980
individually and organizationally.

00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:31.040
Can you think of a situation
where maybe a client of yours

00:22:31.040 --> 00:22:34.223
got stuck and what did
it take to get unstuck?

00:22:35.350 --> 00:22:38.320
- Yeah, so for the past couple years,

00:22:38.320 --> 00:22:41.010
we've been engaged in a fractional way

00:22:41.010 --> 00:22:43.990
with a startup manufacturing plant

00:22:44.840 --> 00:22:47.010
here in Southeast Tennessee.

00:22:47.010 --> 00:22:51.960
And the three owners, one was a banker,

00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:53.060
one was an accountant,

00:22:53.060 --> 00:22:55.940
and the other was a subject matter expert

00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:58.803
in what they are trying to make and sell.

00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:01.940
Neither of the three

00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:04.600
had ever done manufacturing before.

00:23:04.600 --> 00:23:06.100
And so they had to do manufacturing

00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:07.150
in order to produce the product

00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:09.300
that they already could sell.

00:23:09.300 --> 00:23:11.970
And so they brought us
in, they were stuck.

00:23:11.970 --> 00:23:13.290
I mean, they had all this equipment

00:23:13.290 --> 00:23:15.150
sitting in this warehouse,

00:23:15.150 --> 00:23:18.830
sitting there, not hooked up,
no air, no power, nothing.

00:23:18.830 --> 00:23:20.240
And they were already making sales,

00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:22.217
but they couldn't even
run the machines, right?

00:23:22.217 --> 00:23:23.427
And so they were stuck.

00:23:23.427 --> 00:23:25.237
And so they brought us in and they said,

00:23:25.237 --> 00:23:27.300
"Hey, we need to get unstuck

00:23:27.300 --> 00:23:30.600
and we need to start producing
within this timeframe

00:23:30.600 --> 00:23:33.720
so that we can start
meeting revenue goals."

00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:35.740
And so over the past year and a half,

00:23:35.740 --> 00:23:39.210
we have gotten both lines running

00:23:39.210 --> 00:23:42.310
and producing revenue for the company.

00:23:42.310 --> 00:23:44.113
And so that's a good example,

00:23:45.464 --> 00:23:48.260
and in that, we took a
multi-pronged approach.

00:23:48.260 --> 00:23:51.540
So we had somebody there five days a week,

00:23:51.540 --> 00:23:55.140
but three days a week was a plant manager.

00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:57.360
One day a week was a quality manager.

00:23:57.360 --> 00:24:00.490
And then two days a week
was a procurement manager

00:24:00.490 --> 00:24:02.230
because we understood that in order

00:24:02.230 --> 00:24:03.730
to get these machines running,

00:24:03.730 --> 00:24:05.840
you had to have all the
tooling that you needed,

00:24:05.840 --> 00:24:07.460
all the supplies that
you need for maintenance

00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:09.450
and engineering to keep it running.

00:24:09.450 --> 00:24:12.770
You needed somebody leading
the charge and a plant manager,

00:24:12.770 --> 00:24:16.070
developing systems, communication,
getting things running.

00:24:16.070 --> 00:24:17.160
And then at the end of the day,

00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:18.550
when you're selling your product,

00:24:18.550 --> 00:24:20.490
you gotta have quality systems.

00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:22.720
And so our quality manager came in

00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.820
and spent a day and built quality systems

00:24:24.820 --> 00:24:27.080
so that they could do good quality checks

00:24:27.080 --> 00:24:28.810
so that their customers were happy.

00:24:28.810 --> 00:24:32.670
So for all that, the
company got that for less

00:24:32.670 --> 00:24:35.853
than it would cost annually
for a plant manager.

00:24:37.020 --> 00:24:38.980
They got all three expertise.

00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:40.300
- Perfect example.

00:24:40.300 --> 00:24:43.460
And I like the fact that you
were able to give us example

00:24:43.460 --> 00:24:47.420
by which it was not just
one function you brought in

00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:50.240
and they all complemented each other.

00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:55.240
It truly is indication of
a pure integrated approach.

00:24:56.010 --> 00:24:56.843
- That's right.

00:24:56.843 --> 00:24:58.440
- Perfect example.

00:24:58.440 --> 00:24:59.660
Scott, as you kind of look back

00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:01.870
at the things we've discussed thus far,

00:25:01.870 --> 00:25:05.453
what would you want to be
takeaways for our listeners?

00:25:06.450 --> 00:25:09.870
- Yeah, well, for that small
to medium sized company,

00:25:09.870 --> 00:25:14.870
that owner, that family, that
small group of investors,

00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:16.070
if you're having trouble,

00:25:16.070 --> 00:25:20.270
if you feel stuck and
you need some expertise,

00:25:20.270 --> 00:25:21.900
we would love to help you.

00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:25.930
And again, we offer a free assessment,

00:25:25.930 --> 00:25:27.780
a free consultation on the front-end,

00:25:27.780 --> 00:25:29.610
just to try to understand that need

00:25:29.610 --> 00:25:31.550
and see if we're a good fit.

00:25:31.550 --> 00:25:33.890
If you're out there
and you need, you know,

00:25:33.890 --> 00:25:37.850
whether it's marketing
help or operational help,

00:25:37.850 --> 00:25:40.730
just know that you have
somebody in the local community,

00:25:40.730 --> 00:25:42.920
'cause we're in Chattanooga
and the local community

00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:44.610
who can help service your need.

00:25:44.610 --> 00:25:48.000
And if we can't do it, we have
a strong network of people

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:51.170
who we can refer you to, to
help you meet those needs.

00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:52.180
That's what I would say.

00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:53.380
We're just here to help.

00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.220
- Well, that comes through
very loud and clear.

00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:59.990
If someone wants to reach out
to you and connect with you,

00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:03.110
what's the best way for
them to do that, Scott?

00:26:03.110 --> 00:26:08.110
- Email's good, spackett,
P-A-C-K-E-T-T, @thinkrci.com,

00:26:10.170 --> 00:26:12.010
and I think that'll be in the show notes

00:26:12.010 --> 00:26:17.010
as well as you can call
me, (218) 791-7113.

00:26:19.572 --> 00:26:21.300
I have my cell phone on me at all times.

00:26:21.300 --> 00:26:24.173
So I'd love to hear from
you and hope we can help.

00:26:25.360 --> 00:26:28.470
- Well, I'm confident you'll
do your best at trying to help.

00:26:28.470 --> 00:26:31.300
We will include your contact information

00:26:31.300 --> 00:26:35.860
to include your email address,
your telephone number.

00:26:35.860 --> 00:26:39.340
We'll include a link to your website.

00:26:39.340 --> 00:26:41.610
And if I remember, we'll
also include a link

00:26:41.610 --> 00:26:44.687
to the book that you mentioned,
"Fractional Leadership."

00:26:45.670 --> 00:26:47.450
- Awesome, thank you.

00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:49.300
- Scott, thank you.

00:26:49.300 --> 00:26:51.203
That was very, very helpful.

00:26:52.450 --> 00:26:53.283
- Thank you, Mike.

00:26:53.283 --> 00:26:54.443
- You bet.

00:26:54.443 --> 00:26:58.870
I can't go without thanking
our listeners as well.

00:26:58.870 --> 00:27:01.810
I wanna thank our listeners
for joining us today.

00:27:01.810 --> 00:27:04.780
Every Thursday, we
upload the latest episode

00:27:04.780 --> 00:27:06.540
to all the major platforms.

00:27:06.540 --> 00:27:09.423
So if you haven't
already, please subscribe.

00:27:10.800 --> 00:27:14.050
My question for our listeners
are, are you listening,

00:27:14.050 --> 00:27:15.700
and you're finding that people problems

00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:17.850
are keeping you up at night?

00:27:17.850 --> 00:27:19.970
If yes, let's talk.

00:27:19.970 --> 00:27:24.520
Head to bench-builders.com
to schedule a quick call.

00:27:24.520 --> 00:27:26.320
We'll explore ways to help you solve

00:27:26.320 --> 00:27:28.790
your nagging people
problems so you can, again,

00:27:28.790 --> 00:27:31.780
focus on growing your business.

00:27:31.780 --> 00:27:33.830
So I wanna thank you for joining us

00:27:33.830 --> 00:27:35.680
and I hope you have picked up on some tips

00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:40.400
from Scott that will help you
get unstuck and on target.

00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:41.615
Until next time.

00:27:41.615 --> 00:27:44.198
(upbeat music)

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