“Running To, Not From” – Making the Leap to Fractional Work

Recently, Hannah Hardy-Jones had a quick 8-minute chat with fractional HR leader Tracie Sponenberg. They talked about a growing trend: more professionals are leaving traditional corporate jobs to explore fractional leadership roles. Using Contented, Hannah turned their short conversation into a thoughtful blog post full of great insights for anyone considering a similar path. Read it below:

As more professionals consider leaving traditional corporate roles for fractional leadership positions, one question becomes increasingly important: Are you running from something, or running to something? This distinction, shared by fractional leader Tracie Sponenberg , could make the difference between success and struggle in your transition.

The Appeal of Fractional Leadership

"The biggest thing is the flexibility," Tracie explains. "The flexibility to do what I want, when I want, work with who I want, and just the overall power of working for myself instead of building for someone else."

Beyond autonomy, fractional work offers opportunities to tackle unexpected challenges and build meaningful connections within a vibrant community of fellow leaders.

Are You Ready? Key Questions to Ask

Before making the leap, Tracie emphasises the importance of honest self-reflection. Consider:

• Why are you really considering this change?
• Are you comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty?
• Have you built a strong professional network?
• Can you handle the challenges of business development?

The Hidden Challenges

"It's not an easier path, it's a different path," Tracie cautions. Many aspiring fractional leaders struggle with the sales process and business development aspects. This can be particularly challenging for those coming from structured corporate environments.

Tracie notes that traditional sales tactics often fall short in the fractional world. Instead, success for her typically comes through organic networking and relationship-building.

"I lost count of the times that people say, 'Can you tell me how to do business development?'" Tracie shares. "Those are things that I haven't had to do much because if you're building up your network, it's going to happen naturally." She explains that opportunities often arise through casual conversations and connections.

For example, someone might think, "I just talked to Tracie and she's a distribution expert, and I know somebody who needs that." This organic approach to business development can be difficult to explain and even harder to implement for those used to more structured sales processes.

The challenge lies not just in finding clients, but in finding the right clients. Tracie advises being selective, especially when first starting out. "It's very tempting, especially when you're first starting out, just to say yes to everything. But particularly if you have gone through burnout, you really can't do that if you want to either heal or stay healthy."

Managing Burnout Risk

If you're considering fractional work as an escape from burnout, proceed with caution. Tracie shares a personal experience: "I took a client as a company that I probably wouldn't have worked for full time because of the reporting structure, and I think that that was a red flag to me that I didn't really pay attention to."

She emphasises that fractional work isn't automatically better or easier than corporate roles – in some cases, it could even be more stressful if you're not careful in your client selection.

Building for Success

For those ready to make the transition, Tracie recommends:

1. Building your network before you need it
2. Establishing a strong LinkedIn presence
3. Creating a professional website - even a one page free or low cost site
4. Being selective about client partnerships
5. Maintaining clear boundaries

The Path Forward

Making the transition to fractional leadership requires intention, preparation, and clarity of purpose. As Tracie's experience shows, success comes not from escaping corporate life, but from deliberately choosing a new path forward.

Are you considering the move to fractional work? Take time to reflect on your motivations and readiness.

Remember: The best transitions happen when you're running toward something, not away from something.

You can reach Tracie at www.traciesponenberg.com, find her on LinkedIn, or subscribe to her newsletter Work.Community.Coffee here: https://tracie-sponenberg-llc.kit.com/?

Would you like to create impactful content from your own conversations? With Contented, you can! We offer a free demo where you can upload up to 3 recordings and see the magic for yourself. https://aistudio.contentedai.com/signup