What to look for in a fractional executive firm: an honest checklist

Why the choice got harder

More companies are buying part-time and interim leadership than ever. Hiring demand for fractional roles grew 149% year over year from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, according to the Fractional Work Report 2026, and Heidrick & Struggles reports a 151% increase in C-suite on-demand engagements since 2021. Supply has grown to match, and not all of it is senior. The checklist below is what we would use if we were buying.

The checklist

1. Vetting you can see.
Ask how executives are screened, who does the screening and what disqualifies someone. "Seasoned executives" is not an answer. Ask to speak with the specific executive, and ask for references from companies like yours.

2. One accountable lead.
If the problem touches more than one function, who owns the combined result? Coordinating three independent part-time leaders yourself is a job. PwC's 2026 integration survey found 56% of respondents cited organization design and decision rights as their leading people challenge after a deal. Unclear ownership is common, and expensive.

3. The person who diagnoses is the person who does the work.
Watch for the senior partner who closes the deal and the junior who shows up. Ask, in writing, who will be in your building.

4. A fixed-scope way to start.
A good firm will offer a short, defined first phase with a dated deliverable and a decision at the end. You should be able to stop there and execute on your own.

5. Named time commitment and backup.
Hours or days per week, in the agreement. And a clear answer to: what happens if our executive gets sick, quits or gets overloaded by another client?

6. A planned exit.
Hunt Scanlon warns that years of institutional knowledge can end up living with a contractor who can leave on 30 days' notice. The firm should say how knowledge transfers to your team or a permanent hire, and when.

7. Operators, not presenters.
Ask what the executive has personally run, at what size, and what they built that is still in use.

8. Honest about fit.
A firm that tells you when someone else is better for the job is a firm you can trust with the rest.

Comparing your options

Red flags

• The proposal names no individual executive.
• No hours or days per week in writing.
• No way to stop after a first phase.
• Long lists of famous logos and no specifics on what this executive did.
• Pressure to sign a long engagement before anyone has diagnosed the problem.

When TPG is not the right call

• One function, a few hours a month. A marketplace or an independent will match you in days and cost less. Go Fractional, for example, advertises a first introduction within three days.
• You need a permanent hire and have time to search. Call a search firm.
• You want deep specialization in a single function and nothing else is broken. A single-function firm with years of playbooks in that area may serve you better.
• Formal restructuring or insolvency. Hire a turnaround firm.

TPG is built for problems that cross functions and need one accountable lead, with a fixed-scope Sprint to start and a planned handoff to your own team. We draw on a vetted group of 200 executives.

The Proper Group

The Proper Group is a national collective, headquartered in Cincinnati, that places senior operating executives inside companies at the moments the current team can't carry: cash pressure, a missed plan, a closed deal, a leader gone. One accountable lead runs the team, the executive who diagnoses the problem can embed to fix it, and every engagement is built to hand off to the client's own leaders.