Sarah (00:09)
Welcome to the podcast. This is unDUBBED, where we get real about data, leadership, and everything in between. No jargon, no fluff, just straight talking takes on what actually works out there in the wild. I'm Sarah Burnett, and today with my partner in crime, Fi Gordon. Welcome, Fi.
Fi (00:29)
Thanks Sarah it's great to be here again 11th podcast who knows
Sarah (00:32)
Yay. I know. Where did the time go? Today,
we're digging into a topic that's blowing up in boardrooms and on socials everywhere, fractional consulting. And specifically, what makes a great fractional consultant. Because let's be honest, hiring is tough. Teams are under pressure, AI is moving faster than most orgs can keep up with, and leaders are realizing that sometimes
What they need isn't another full-time headcount. It's clarity, momentum, and someone who can land fast, lead hard, and leave the place better than they found it.
And that's where fractional consultants come in. The ones who don't just deliver dashboards or playbooks, they help shape direction, unlock stuck teams, bring just the right mix of strategy and roll up their sleeves, get the energy to make change actually happen. It's a model that's picking up serious steam and we're right in the thick of it at Dub Dub Data, helping companies bridge the gap between what they could actually do with data and what they're actually doing.
So whether you're thinking about hiring a fractional or stepping into the space yourself, this episode's for you. So Fi what do you think traditional hiring models are falling short in today's landscape?
Fi (01:55)
Thanks, Sarah. Well, I think you alluded to a little bit before where the pace of change is really impacting people. So we're finding out in the market that the absolute speed and rate of change with the movement into AI, or perhaps the appetite for AI is actually driving some different hiring practices and perhaps also some
firing practices or redundancy practices as well. So the pace of change right now in the market is so fast. It's a light speed. By the time you find onboard and embed a senior data hire, many times the goalposts have shifted. So what you thought you were hiring for is no longer that same person. And what we're finding is many businesses, they need that leadership in a heartbeat.
but not the full-time head count. they need people who can come in and do specific things. It might be designing a roadmap. It might be removing blockers. It might be change management and enabling those internal data teams. I don't know about you, but I have seen it's really expensive to hire a head of data. I mean, over in New Zealand, what's the normal rate over there, the going rate for a head of data?
Sarah (03:22)
Well, it can really range industry to industry, but I would say, you you're looking at an absolute minimum of probably 300K.
Fi (03:31)
Mm-hmm. And what about a chief data officer?
Sarah (03:35)
Yeah, again, based on the size of the industry, I think you're looking even more than that, really.
Fi (03:40)
Similar here in Australia, I think, you know, a senior head of data, you would be looking upwards 300, 350,000 and a chief data officer is, you know, more in that 450k, 500k space. But oftentimes what we're seeing out in the market is that the chief data officer role has a lot of turnover in it. And the reason for that is that
either A, not delivering, or they've been hired because they need to have programming skills and all of these other things. And all of a sudden, they're not actually delivering to the expectations. And that often happens because they've come through as a practitioner and not as a generalist as well. So hiring these roles is really expensive. And it's super risky if the organization isn't ready for it.
or they're hiring for a role that they don't actually need. So these traditional type roles that we see, like a CDO or a head of, they can easily get bogged down in the politics of an organization and the reporting lines as well. In your experience, how much time spent in the politicking?
Sarah (04:38)
Hmm.
Too much, Fi, too much.
Fi (04:58)
Mm-hmm and corporate land. Absolutely. It's all about greasing the wheels making sure that you know your Delivering for person A and person B and then trying to get some of that reciprocity along the way in that support as well Whereas if you have consultants that are coming in to have fractional delivery, they're here for a specific purpose and it's much easier to set them up.
It's also helpful in the politics as well because they're not people who are involved or up to their eyeballs in making things actually happen and doing some of that quid pro quo internally. They're here to deliver for a specific reason and they can be more impartial as well. So we're seeing that the fractional roles or the fractional leaders are actually outcome focused from day one.
Sarah (05:54)
Yeah. And I think another piece of it as well is, you you alluded to around AI and things are moving fast and different. There's a lot of strategy that I see changing and tools that are being used that are different. And sometimes, if you're hiring for a fractional consultant in a very narrow space, that can work really well as well. So you're hiring for a very specific skill set, where that person
knows a particular strategy or you're using a very certain set of tools that you also want someone who specifically has seen that happen or has driven an outcome like that before.
Fi (06:36)
So Sarah, that leads well into my next question. What is fractional consulting and what isn't it?
Sarah (06:43)
I think a lot of people do get a little bit confused about what's the difference between a fractional consultant, a consultant, and then maybe an ingrained employee. So I'm going to start with what it's not. And you're not a freelancer, and you're not a full-time hire. What you are is you're actually a partner And it's not about filling hours. It's about delivering outcomes. So each time, you're fully focused on delivering to the strategy of a single outcome.
Fi (07:11)
I love that. That's a good call.
We all know that it's so easy for scope creep when you're an employee or a contractor. And that's because the natural things that occur in an organization start to impact where the priorities are. The difference with fractional consulting is that you're coming in to deliver a specific outcome. It is because it's in a very short timeframe, a little more expensive.
You're getting senior individuals to come in and consult, but they are there to deliver one thing and not many.
Sarah (07:54)
Spot on, Fi.
Fi (07:55)
Mm-mm. Great. And just on that scope creep, how do you prevent that scope creep from coming in?
Sarah (08:03)
Great question, Fi, and it is a real mindset change. I think having that single outcome, single strategy can help you, but it is always about coming back and making sure is what I'm doing tied to that. And if it's not, having that conversation at the executive level on why the is creep is coming in and what needs to be changed.
Fi (08:26)
Yeah, totally. I mean, if you think a fractional consultant is just a cheaper version of a full-timer, you've missed the point.
Sarah (08:34)
100%⁓ So on that Fi
what do you think's behind the global shift towards fractional leadership in data?
Fi (08:45)
I think there are a number of things that have contributed to this movement. There's economic pressure, skills gaps, agility, and there's also a bit of a maturity mismatch. So let's dig deeper into each of those. First off, we've got economic pressure. I don't know if you've seen out on the news lately, but companies are under pressure to cut costs and still keep the digital transformation going.
What fractional consulting and leadership does is it provides leadership without the long-term commitment. So that eases some of the economic pressures that you're seeing. You're not having to hire a head count. You're not having to commit to full-time. There can always be ceilings in what's happening in many organizations. So fractional leadership is one way that you can get around that. The next thing is the skills gap.
there's senior data leaders out there are in short supply, especially great senior data leaders. And what fractional consulting or fractional leadership does is it gives you access to top tier talent that you wouldn't be able to hire or afford full time. So potentially you can put people into managerial roles and have the support of fractional leaders,
to coach them and nurture them through and help them to elevate their skills as well. Moving to agility, organizations want to have the ability to scale up or down as needed. And no one needs to have the overhead of thinking about, I going to be making this role redundant further down the track? So a fractional model does give them that flexibility. And then finally, with the maturity mismatch,
many businesses want to start or mature their data function, but they don't actually need a 40 hour or a 37 and a half hour, depending on which country you're in, week of leadership to actually do it.
Sarah (10:52)
Yeah, and I agree, and particularly, imagine if you came in, you could cut all the politics out and just do your job. I don't think any of those roles would need that 40 hours a week anymore.
Fi (11:05)
I know, this is probably a good podcast. How much time does politicking take in your organisation? Sarah, tell me, what do you think makes a great fractional consultant?
Sarah (11:12)
Exactly.
Yeah, so great question. And one that really sits with me is around the speed to value. that's the ability to land fast, ask the right questions and create clarity. And it's really key. it's even more important when there's someone from the outside coming in and working out what feels quite normal inside can be kind of odd from the outside looking in. So I think taking that time to get those answers.
Another one for me is around context switching. So doing that without compromising the quality. you've got someone in there that's able to kind of have that single focus, but can really get across all the teams really quickly and understand what's going on. The next point is around being strong at stakeholder management. you really need to navigate the executives
the analysts and the engineers, you need to work almost in a triangle, figuring out what each of the pain points are and how it all works to that one common goal that you've been brought in to fix. I also think that a lot of experience, so bringing frameworks, playbooks, style guides, all those shortcuts that as a fractional consultant, you're gonna bring under your arm and come in with.
That's a great way as well for you to be super efficient and to be really effective inside.
another part around being a great fractional consultant is you're not just joining the team that you're involved in, but you're actually going there to uplift them and enable them. So a lot of guidance and support. the person that's coming in should feel like they're lighting a fire under your data team, but in a really good way.
So what does it look like when someone brings you in for just a few hours a month?
Fi (13:08)
it's big brains on part-time contracts. So it could be for leadership coaching, for instance, for a more junior data lead and helping them to succeed without hiring a new exec so they could come to you with their ideas or what's happening and ask for your feedback on how to improve it along the way or for examples of what you've done in the past to guide them. Could also be supporting a product
team once a fortnight and helping them to shape analytics that actually influence business decisions. We both know that gathering requirements is one thing that people often fall down on. Really understanding the nuts and bolts of what the problem is that we're trying to solve. We can come in, work with product teams, work with stakeholders, bring it together so everyone knows what the expectations are to deliver.
Sarah (14:05)
Yeah, it's those real little shortcuts that I think fractional consultants can bring in and with a new set of eyes in an organization that's going through something that they've potentially been through themselves before.
Fi (14:17)
Yeah, I liken it to being a data lead in your pocket. So where you can call on us to deliver whatever it is that you require or consult on it. So you've got an advisor who's independent and really giving you solid advice based on many years of experience.
Sarah (14:37)
For sure.
Fi (14:38)
So Sarah, tell me how companies can leverage the fractional model.
Sarah (14:45)
One of the ways I think is a great one is when you're piloting a strategy before you're going to scale it. So you may be looking at going down a new path of transformation with your data, maybe a completely new roadmap, new tools. You really want to get into the understanding of what the outcome is going to have and get someone in who's really skilled, who's potentially been down that path before, before it kind of blows out into a full-scale project.
the other thing is to come in and have someone who's going to mentor some of the internal talent. So if you're particularly changing, say, your architecture, you might want to talk about people that have worked in those tool sets before and can see all those little shortcuts in order to really elevate your team and get them across and all those learning hacks that they can come in and help with. another one is around de-risking the transformation.
whether it's tools, team structures or governance, Fractionals can really help doing this. And it's ideal for organizations that are either looking to change their strategy, maybe they're looking at a post structure or they're looking at a pre-hiring
stack or they're navigating, as I said, to new tech, particularly around that data stack or what we're seeing a lot of now around AI.
Fi (16:04)
Yeah, there's a lot in there, right? essentially no one wants to make the wrong decision, especially when we're investing in some really quite expensive transformations. leveraging people who have had experience in the areas, but even have nothing to gain through the purchases, it's a really good way of ratifying that the choices that you're making are the right ones.
Sarah (16:30)
Yeah, it doesn't have to be super expensive or super long term, right? The key to fractional consulting is bringing someone in to solve something really quickly. And it helps you to, you know, if you're going to fail, fail fast and move on to the next thing, if that's where you land.
Fi (16:46)
Mm-mm. Spot on.
Sarah (16:48)
So Fi, how do you balance being fractional with staying close to the business and driving change?
Fi (16:55)
Balancing being fractional and staying to the business whilst driving change is definitely a tough gig. I say we're being part-time on the clock, but full-time in your corner. And it's really important to have the right frameworks or rituals in place. So whether that's a framework on workshops, whether that's human-centered design, whether that's working sessions or coaching sessions.
Having something where we can list out what we need to go through means that we ensure that we're outcomes focused. It's also important to be available in the moments that actually matter. Now, whether or not that's something like a planning cycle that someone's having for their upcoming budgetary year, it could be a sprint review or backlog, utilizing the framework of Rose -Thorn-Bud or even team up-skilling.
The key is alignment and not the hours. We stay really close to the heartbeat of the business without being full time. we prioritize these high leverage moments of volume over time. We're here to drive momentum. We just don't log the long hours.
Sarah (18:11)
Yeah, and I think it's cemented in what you're saying as well, is we're really there as a support and guidance role. And I think that's really important. So it's working to that flow of the business that you've come into to do your fractional consulting for.
Fi (18:27)
Mm, really important.
So tell me about the thing that probably no one wants to talk about, that red flag. when could fractional consulting go wrong?
Sarah (18:40)
Hiring a fractional consultant and expecting them to act like a full-timer is not going to work. Don't get them involved in all the politics. Don't invite them to all the meetings. You're just going to overwhelm the situation and you're not going to get to that single outcome strategy focus. And you're not going to understand what good it is going to look like. Let them do their job with everything they have in their
back pocket to start to streamline and focus on the outcome and the strategy. If you get them involved in too much, everything's going to get clouded and you're not going to run as fast as you want.
Fi (19:15)
Spot on. if a fractional consultant is spending more time selling than solving, that's a red flag.
Sarah (19:23)
For sure, for sure.
So Fi, on that, how do you think you build trust quickly when you're not a full-time member of the team?
Fi (19:31)
Trust isn't built over years, it's built over actions. One of my favorite things to do is give people a good hard listening to. Listening first, we're not walking in with assumptions, I fixed all of this before, made that mistake back earlier in my career. We embed and ask a lot of questions and quick wins. They earn credibility really fast. So fixing a broken report,
clarifying a process, facilitating a tricky conversation, these things all help to build that credibility and establish it. We act also like part of the team; showing up consistently and speaking the language of both business and data and even technology too. And finally, I think that it's important to be transparent.
So being transparent about what we can do, what we're here for, and how we're measuring the impact, but also when we're probably not best to be the person helping to advise them, we can often find better partners of ours to come in and consult and provide that thought leadership where we don't have the expertise.
Sarah (20:46)
completely agree. And just on being transparent, I would say there's another element to that as well, Fi. And that's being transparent when you feel like the organization isn't acting in a way that is going to help get to that outcome. So it's being real and having those conversations potentially to the top around some of the shortcomings that you're seeing in the team and how that needs to pivot for the success to be driven. Because as a fractional consultant,
you're obviously coming in to solve a problem, but you're not going to do it on your own. You need that team to be behind you all the way.
Fi (21:21)
so tell me, this is your 30-second sales pitch, or maybe a little bit more. Tell me, how do you think that Dub Dub Data nail fractional consulting?
Sarah (21:34)
We've seen what works and what doesn't work across industries. I like the fact that we come in with back pocket of all of our playbooks and our style guides and all that information of how we've seen things go wrong, we've seen things go right. We've also got each other to bounce off those kinds of ideas. And we can really fast track what we see and how we've seen things happen in the past,
to help us go forward and do it lean and mean. we don't just show up and expect clarity instantly. You we've really spent that time and effort digging deep and understanding what the organization is looking for, why they're looking for it. Leaning into the why is really important. That's something that you said as well, understanding the business culture, the language that they use and start building out that capability.
Really focusing on that guidance and support because at the end of the day, we're not gonna be there forever, we're gonna be there for a short time and we wanna make sure that when we leave, they'll continue to be successful beyond us being there.
Fi (22:45)
Just enough leadership to get shit done.
Sarah (22:47)
Exactly. And no politics.
Fi (22:51)
And no politics. Well, a little bit of politics. I think that that's always important, but trying to help to coach the internal teams to navigate these things rather than us being the ones in the middle of it.
Sarah (23:03)
Yeah, exactly.
Fi, what do internal teams need to understand for fractional leadership to work well?
Fi (23:15)
Internal teams need to understand that we're not here to take your job, we're here to help you keep your sanity. It's not about oversight into what you're doing or judging you, it's actually about enablement, helping you to achieve the goals that you want to achieve. We're here to support you and not replace you. Our success depends on a point of contact, open access to the right people and
clarity around what it is that you need our focus on. When you realize as an internal team that you're being empowered and not audited or judged, that's when the magic happens.
Sarah (23:54)
Yeah, really important factors there. I love the way that you've summed that up. You know, it's really about, like you said, enablement. It's not about kind of coming in and replacing, but giving that support and guidance for them to become more successful and more empowered.
Fi (24:12)
For sure. I'm curious, Sarah, what do you think is unique about our approach to fractional leadership compared to traditional consultancies?
Sarah (24:24)
Great question, Fi, and I think it does really need some clarity because Fractional Consulting is so new and fresh. What I say that happens is we don't send a team of juniors. We are the senior people and we are coming in to do the work. Another big point is whether we combine strategy vision with hands-on delivery. So we have that skill to not only talk about it at a strategic level, but to help support and guide your teams,
to get hands-on and get that delivery out there. We also focus on enablement. It's a big part of what we do. So we're helping your people get better, not just handing you a whole slide deck and walking away. And we keep things really human, really leaning into that human-centered design. We make people where they are and help them grow into what's next.
Fi (25:15)
So there's less pitch and more partnership, would you say?
Sarah (25:19)
Exactly.
Fi, when is the wrong time to go fractional?
Fi (25:29)
If your team's not aligned on a goal, a fractional leader won't save the game. Realistically, if the business is in chaos with no point of contact or leadership support, our value won't land. So if you're looking for someone just to do the doing for five days a week, that's not fractional consulting, it's a contractor or a consultant. If there's no appetite or buy-in from execs,
our fractional consultants can't fix that alone. We need to partner with you to ensure that you get the outcomes that you require.
Sarah (26:04)
Yeah, really key that one around buy-in from executives, right? If you're not talking at the top level, you're not gonna get the cut through and deliver that single outcome strategy that you're looking for.
Fi (26:16)
Mm.
Agreed. What would you say to a business that's not sure whether or not to go fractional or hire full-time consultants?
Sarah (26:27)
Yeah, the beauty of fractional is that you can start small, right? You can get someone to come in for a couple of days, hours, and help to find the problem. It doesn't have to be that big, big project at all. It's almost like testing the water. You could start fractional and figure out you needed a full-time hire. There's no problem with transitioning between that. So really leveraging that fractional consultant,
to come and test what works before unlocking it in a full-time role.
Fi (26:59)
Yes, spot on. I mean, I know that we use Fractional for things coming in our business, for instance, on web consulting and marketing consulting as well, because we know that we don't need the full time hires. We know that we're doing some of the work as well. And it's been really cost effective for us, even though you're spending, you know, about $500 for a 90 minute coaching session.
That's well worth it when you've got a laundry list of activities that you can take away and really help you to achieve the goals that you want. I'm loving the fractional aspect, both in us providing it, but also in utilizing the services as well.
Sarah (27:45)
And when I think back to some of those engagements that we have done, yes, $500 for a startup is a big outlay at the time. But wow, the benefits that we get from it, just levels, takes us to the next level, I think every single time we engage.
Fi (28:01)
100%.
Sarah (28:04)
So if someone's listening and wondering how to get started, what's the first step?
Fi (28:10)
Well, I think it's easy to take the first step. You can reach out to us and book a discovery call and that's absolutely free. So we'll put that into the show notes so you can book a free 30 minute session with us and we can get a better understanding of what it is that you're trying to achieve. And then from there, we can set up for a few hours a week or even a few hours a month to help you out in the specific areas that you've
been crying out for help with or just don't know how to get through.
Sarah (28:42)
Exactly, and you may think what can we achieve in a couple of hours? But again, we've got all that information and knowledge in our back pocket. You'll be really surprised how much we can help you out in a really short time.
Fi (28:54)
For sure. Well, I think that's just about it, unless you've got something else to add, Sarah.
Sarah (29:01)
No, I've enjoyed today's unDUBBED
Fi (29:04)
I know it's been fun chatting about fractional consulting and hopefully we've got the word out there. So that's a wrap on this episode of unDUBBED where we're keeping it unscripted, uncensored and undeniably data. If you're building a data capability or hiring into your first leadership role or not quite ready for a full-time head of data, we hope that this gives you,
a fresh perspective on what is possible, whether you need someone to lead or uplift your team, or even just help you to hire the right person the full time, this fractional consulting is a smart and flexible way and proven way for you to move faster without that overhead.
First of all, I want you to like and subscribe, leave us a review. We absolutely love reading your reviews, so please do that in our podcast, but if this talk has sparked something for you, let's talk. You can find us at Dub Dub Data or drop us a message on LinkedIn or use the show notes to book that free discovery call. Thanks for listening and until next time, let's keep it sharp, keep it human and keep it Dub Dub Data.
Sarah (30:10)
Until next time everyone, we'll see you later.
