Execution Is the Proof: Rethinking Trust in Fractional Leadership
- Scott Michajluk
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Most of what I write doesn’t start with a content calendar or a hot take.
It starts with real conversations.
Sometimes it’s something a founder says directly to me.
Sometimes it’s something a peer shares after the fact.
And sometimes it’s a pattern I’ve seen often enough over the years that it deserves to be named - not critically, but honestly.
This is one of those patterns.
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A Detail Most People Don’t Know About Me
Most people first get to know me as an operational leader.
They see the COO roles, the fractional work, the focus on cadence, structure, execution, and accountability. What they don’t usually know - at least not at first - is that my educational background isn’t just in business.
It’s also in clinical psychology.
Early in my career, I didn’t fully appreciate how valuable that would become. I thought it was interesting, sure - but not necessarily practical in a business setting.
That changed at a conference early on.
I was speaking with a senior leader I deeply respected, someone who had built and led organizations far larger than anything I was involved in at the time. When he asked about my background and I mentioned psychology alongside business, he smiled and said something I’ve never forgotten:
“That will serve you better in business than any MBA ever will.”
At the time, I wasn’t sure I believed him. Twenty years later, I do.
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A Repeated Pattern
A common moment where psychology shows up in my work is when a founder reaches the point where they know they need operational help but aren’t quite ready for what that actually means.
The conversation usually sounds like this:
“We’re growing.”
“I’m stretched thin.”
“Everything still funnels through me.”
And then…
“Can you share a few references?”
There’s nothing wrong with that question. In fact, it’s completely understandable. But psychologically, it’s often not the real question being asked.
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Why the Reference Question Feels So Important
For most of a founder’s journey, references and testimonials are the right tool.
They help reduce uncertainty.
They create a sense of safety.
They answer: “Has someone else survived this decision?”
Early decisions are transactional:
vendors
agencies
consultants
specialists
In those cases, references are often a reasonable proxy for trust. From a psychological standpoint, they lower perceived risk.
Where the Meaning of Risk Changes
As a business grows - especially into the multi-million-dollar, multi-team stage, the nature of risk shifts.
The founder is no longer deciding:
“Is this person competent?”
They’re deciding:
“Am I ready to stop being the central nervous system of my business?”
That’s not a business question.
That’s an identity question.
And when identity is involved, the brain looks for certainty wherever it can find it. References start to feel like protection.
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What Founders Are Often Really Trying to Protect
When I hear a founder ask for references at this stage, I don’t hear skepticism. I hear:
fear of losing control
fear of making an irreversible mistake
fear that stepping back will expose cracks
fear that the business only works because they’re holding it together
From a psychological lens, this is completely rational. When someone has been the decision bottleneck for years, their nervous system is wired to believe:
If I’m not involved, things fall apart.
No testimonial can undo that belief.
Why References Don’t Actually Solve the Underlying Anxiety
This is where my operational and psychology worlds intersect. No reference can tell a founder:
how it will feel when decisions stop coming to them
how their leadership team will respond to real accountability
how uncomfortable the first few weeks of letting go might be
whether pressure will truly come off their plate
Those aren’t intellectual questions. They’re experiential ones. That’s why founders can speak with three references, feel reassured in the moment and still struggle once the engagement begins.
Fractional Leadership Is a Different Category of Decision
One of the biggest reframes I try to offer founders is this:
A fractional operational leadership engagement is not the same as hiring a vendor.
It’s closer to:
sharing authority
changing decision flow
redefining accountability
installing a new operating rhythm
From a psychological standpoint, this triggers uncertainty even when the logic makes sense. That’s also why many of my client relationships operate under executive-level confidentiality. Not because the work lacks substance, but because it touches the most sensitive parts of the business.
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What Actually Builds Trust at This Stage
In my experience, trust for founders at this level is built when they see:
decisions being made without escalation
meetings producing outcomes instead of updates
leaders stepping into ownership
their own cognitive load beginning to lift
That’s why I structure engagements around:
clear scope
defined 60–90 day windows
measurable outcomes and deliverables
and the ability to adjust if it’s not working
From a psychological perspective, this matters because it restores a sense of control without requiring micromanagement.
Execution becomes the proof.
This Isn’t About Being Anti-Reference
To be clear: I’m not against references or testimonials.
They’re just not the primary signal at this stage of growth and they’re often not what founders actually need to feel safe moving forward.
When references become the deciding factor, it’s usually a sign that the founder - or the business - isn’t quite ready for the shift yet.
And that’s okay.
Readiness isn’t a moral judgment. It’s a timing issue.
A Final Thought for Founders
If you’re a founder reading this and feeling torn, here’s the reframe I’d offer:
The most important question may not be:
“Who else can vouch for this person?”
It may be:
“Is this engagement designed so I can experience real change without overcommitting?”
Because at this stage of business growth, trust isn’t borrowed from someone else’s story. It’s built carefully, deliberately and through execution. And in my experience, that’s where real relief begins.
