A Fractional Integrator is a part-time operations leader who takes an owner’s plan and makes it actually happen.
They run the week.
Priorities, accountability, follow-through and the meetings that keep it all moving.
The Visionary decides where the business is going.
The Integrator makes sure it gets there.
Unsure if you need a Fractional Integrator? Here are some clues you do.
- As a business leader, you want to focus on the big picture, but keep getting caught in the weeds.
- Maybe you’ve been frustrated that people don’t think like you.
- Why don’t people just do their jobs and get on board with your plans?
- How is no one as excited as you about growth??
A Fractional Integrator will be your counterbalance, your business (and brain) needs.
Before we get too far, let’s talk about the differences between the two of you.
What’s the difference between the Fractional Integrator and the Visionary?
Gino Wickman said it best: “One sees the future, the other makes it happen.”
It’s a true rarity to have a business owner or CEO that can successfully juggle strategy and execution. Only 8% of leaders are good at both strategy and execution and those 8% see staggeringly stronger financial returns.
But you don’t need to be both. You can get help. You can hire an Integrator.
What is a Fractional Integrator?
A Fractional Integrator functions as an external, interim, Fractional COO. It’s a great value-add for any company running an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®™). It’s for businesses that do not need a full-time Integrator or if there is not someone currently in a COO position within the company already.
Key Performance Integrators has Fractional Integrators with a fondness for finishing the job and keeping everyone on the same page.
Our main goal is to help you focus on the big picture while keeping you from getting caught in the weeds. We create the ‘how’ behind a Visionary’s ‘what’. Our work creates the process that makes your desired future attainable.
What does a Fractional Integrator cost?
Fractional Integrator engagements with KPI start at $6,500 a month.
What moves the number is scope and cadence.
How many hours a week.
How many people they are holding accountable.
Whether they are running a meeting rhythm that already exists or building one from nothing.
For comparison, hiring the role full time starts around $150,000 plus benefits, and often equity.
In our experience an experienced COO-level Integrator frequently runs past $250,000.
Fractional exists because most owner-led businesses need the judgment more than they need the forty hours.
Is a Fractional Integrator the same as an EOS™ Implementer?
So, is a Fractional Integrator the same as an EOS™ Implementer?
No.
An Integrator and an Implementer are not the same things. They have different roles and focuses within an organization.
Integrators take a Visionary’s ideas and make them a reality. It is never Visionary vs Integrator.
Implementers run EOS™ within an organization.
An EOS™ Implementer typically works with a client for 2 years, sometimes longer. In the first year, they typically have 6 touchpoints with a client, called “session days”. In those session days, they teach leadership teams about EOS™ and the various tools and guide them to solve problems, craft their vision and goals, etc.
The Integrator fills in the gaps between the session days. The Integrator is responsible for executing the strategy and bringing EOS™ to life throughout the organization. A Fractional Integrator may only be engaged for a few months on an interim basis or could be a long-term solution for a company that is not yet ready to bring on a full-time Integrator.
Another key difference is that Fractional Integrators typically take on more of a leadership role within the company. They often work closely with the business owner or CEO to help make strategic decisions and set long-term goals. This hands-on approach is one of the main reasons why Fractional Integrators are usually hired on a long-term basis.
That being said, we believe every company that wants to run on EOS™ would benefit from working with an EOS™ Implementer.
Streamline & optimize processes with a Fractional Integrator
All too often, companies invest in people and technology with the expectation that those things alone will make the organization better.
Without a clearly defined process, people and technology fail to achieve the results a Visionary wants. Leaving them annoyed and questioning their investments.
But what if the problem is not the people or technology?
What if the issue is with the steps needed to achieve that goal?
The process.
Integrators focus on the process first.
Then we make sure that people in the organization understand and are capable of delivering on the process.
Next, we make sure there is the right technology in place to support the people.
A Fractional Integrator creates the ‘How’ for the Visionary’s ‘What’ or ‘Why’
Integrators help the Visionary focus. Visionaries are prone to shiny object syndrome, but we say “no” more than we say “yes” when bringing their ideas to fruition. We help you focus on the most important things instead of chasing down every idea that pops into your head.
Integrators help you see the future and identify the steps to make it happen.
A Fractional Integrator can help a Visionary create a plan for achieving their goals.
The Integrator’s role is to provide structure and guidance, while the Visionary provides the vision and direction. The Fractional Integrator helps the leadership team to develop and implement a strategy that will achieve the desired results.
An Integrator also ensures that the team remains focused and on track. Without an Integrator, Visionaries may have difficulty translating their vision into a plan of action. That’s why a Fractional Integrator plays an essential role in helping leaders to achieve their goals.
Integrators empower the people within an organization
Have you heard of LMA™?
Within EOS™ it refers to Lead, Manage, and hold Accountable.
Integrators address LMA™ with the leadership team.
Working alongside the main players within an organization, Integrators:
- ensure everyone is aligned with the overall strategy and vision
- have clearly defined goals (Rocks™)
- know what success looks like with measurables (Scorecard™)
- hold everyone accountable for driving results through the weekly Meeting Pulse™ (Level 10 Meeting™)
Integrators empower through structure. They narrow the focus to maximize the impact.
Don’t try to be both a Visionary and Integrator
Visionaries all too often take on responsibilities that would be better placed somewhere else. The Integrator role is too important to try to juggle among your other responsibilities. And quite frankly, it’s holding you back from achieving your goal, and that’s costing you money.
Don’t get discouraged if there isn’t an obvious candidate currently in your organization.
Key Performance Integrators can be your Fractional Integrator. We will not only help you to identify what should be changed within the organization, but we will roll up our sleeves and get to work alongside you. See how a Fractional Integrator engagement works.
When a Fractional Integrator is not what you need
Most owners searching this term are not really shopping for a role.
They are describing a symptom.
Every decision routes through them, and they want some of it back.
A good Integrator absorbs that for a while.
What a person cannot do is change the reason it keeps happening.
That reason is usually one of four things.
- Nobody else owns a result.
- The work is not written down.
- It runs on somebody’s memory instead of a system.
- Nobody can see the numbers in time to act on them.
Hiring for the symptom buys you relief.
Fixing the cause is what makes the business worth more, and it is where we spend most of our time now.
See how we help owners build value.
Not sure which of the four is holding you back?
The Value Snapshot scores all four in about three minutes.
The number that matters is the lowest one.
Curious what your business is worth?
Ten questions, about three minutes. Find out where your business stands and what it could be worth.