This Episode: Fractional HR Consulting with Sharon Green
Lucinda talks to HR transformation specialist Sharon Green to demystify the evolving world of independent people professionals. Sharon draws on her extensive 20-year career to clearly distinguish between traditional interim management and the emerging trend of fractional HR, which offers scalable, long-term strategic leadership for growing businesses that don’t yet need a full-time executive.
Packed with practical advice, the conversation explores the mindset, adaptability, and relationship-building skills required to thrive as a solo practitioner in a changing corporate landscape.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- While interim roles are typically full-time, project-driven, or coverage-based for a finite period, fractional roles provide ongoing, long-term strategic leadership on a part-time basis tailored to a company’s growth stage.
- Succeeding as an independent consultant requires a high tolerance for ambiguity, as practitioners must frequently step into unfamiliar corporate cultures and hit the ground running without formal onboarding.
- The value of a senior interim or fractional professional lies less in highly specialised industry knowledge and more in transferable leadership skills and the ability to view business challenges from an objective, outside perspective.
- Managing the exit phase of a consultancy contract with a thorough handover is just as critical as the onboarding phase to ensure long-term trust and sustainable change for the client.
BEST MOMENTS
“You’re not really leveraging off your domain knowledge… it’s more about the transferable skills and experience that you bring to that organisation and the outside-in perspective.”
“Clients aren’t paying to manage you… they’re paying for you to manage the work that they are engaging you to deliver.”
“Doing a good job at the ending is just as important as doing that good job right at the start to build those trusting relationships.”
Valuable Resources
The HR Uprising Podcast | Apple | Spotify | YouTube
The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group
Mastering Motivation with Rob Lion (The HR Uprising)
How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney
HR Uprising Mastermind – https://hruprising.com/mastermind/
If you liked this episode, try these
- Podcast Episode 178: Sustainable Working Cultures with Anna Meller
- Podcast Episode 127: Handling Flexible Working Requests in a Hybrid World with Vicky Roberts
Find out more about Actus solutions:
Appraisal Info-book: Rethinking Performance Appraisals
Performance Management Software
About The Guest, Sharon Green
Sharon Green is a professional interim, coach, and consultant, and the founder of Chiara Consultancy, bringing a wealth of experience from senior roles across the NHS, not-for-profit sector, and international law firms. She specialises in people-focused projects spanning change and transformation, people technology, and employee experience, helping organisations navigate complex challenges with a strategic and pragmatic approach. A Chartered FCIPD with a Master’s in HDM, Sharon is also an Agile ® and PRINCE2® project manager, as well as an ICF-trained coach who supports individuals at key career crossroads. Alongside her client work, she leads the global HR Interim Networking Community, a thriving peer network of over 3,000 independent people professionals.
Connect with Sharon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharongreenchiara/
Chiara Consulting Website: http://chiaraconsultancy.co.uk/
About The Host
Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles. Lucinda, for over 10 years as CEO of Actus Software has worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. Certainly, it was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community. In order to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.
“If you look up, you rise up”
How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney
Contact Method
- Join the HR Uprising LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13714397/
- Email: Lucinda@advancechange.co.uk
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindacarney/
- X / Twitter: @lucindacarney
- Instagram: @hruprising
- Facebook: @hruprising
- YouTube: Channel
Actus Software
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