As a premier provider of technical leadership, MISSION+ is bridging the gap between ambitious companies and access to the talent they require to sustainably thrive in the shape shifting world of today. In this summary we explain more about the support system that we offer CTOs who work with us on a fractional basis. To ensure our Fractional CTOs are more than conventional consultants, MISSION+ has developed design and engineering layers which our Fractional CTOs can access as needed for the build and implementation stages of the work they support. At the same time, we are investing in career development and providing access to a rich community of other engineers and product builders. These support layers are helpful as individuals navigate away from the traditional concept of working with one employer to a portfolio of work. In this summary, we are excited to share more about how we have been pulling this together. 

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What is CTO execution support and why is it important?

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Over the past 5 years we have built a network of over 600 Designers and Engineers that have worked with us on over 50 projects. When Fractional CTOs access our expansive pool of engineering talent (sometimes clients need it and sometimes they don’t), it allows their advisory to transition from abstract recommendations to actual involvement in the execution stage, allowing the Fractional CTO to take ownership and responsibility for decisions and management of the technical outcomes during implementation. Through this process, the Fractional CTO becomes more critical to business needs whether they are taking responsibility for a core build for an aspiring company or sitting behind a seasoned CTO in a tenured company and acting as a second brain on a new business line where their specialised skills are only needed for a defined period. 

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To facilitate execution support further, we also simplify the operational aspects of engaging with clients by handling the non technical elements of an engagement from the business development, contracting and billing processes. This service relieves technical leaders from the administrative burden associated with contracting complex pieces of work, making the process smoother and more efficient. This means our engineering leadership can wake up in the morning and focus solely on managing teams responsible for core client delivery objectives while MISSION+ manages the logistics such as hiring or billing.

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Under this working model, we allow Fractional CTOs to come to us with clients to leverage our design and engineering execution support layer, but more often we bring opportunities to CTOs that we have sourced from our own network. To give one example, if we are working on a blockchain project in sustainability, one of the client’s deciding factors of working with MISSION+ is that we are not just selling our ability to solve their problems from the top of a pyramid, but then offering the closest person with some experience from layers below to execute it. Instead they work with us because we are recommending you as the most appropriate node from our network based on your actual experience, skillset and motivation for blockchain sustainability.

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In summary Fractional talent is valuable to MISSION+ once we have assessed, understood and can match their attributes around the following areas to our client needs:

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For further explanation, we encourage you to also read Introducing Fractional Leadership at MISSION

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Why do we talk about personal development?

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As an emerging space, MISSION+ ends up helping numerous leaders test and lean into fractional advisory often with the goal of attaining a Portfolio Career. For the unfamiliar, we encourage you to read this 2021 HBR article, one of many articles which introduces the concept. At the moment we see three types of fractional leaders emerging, including those who are:

• serious about building a career based on a portfolio concept of working on two to three interesting engagements which facilitates freedom and flexibility of work
• testing the concept with 2 flexible hours per day for one project whilst otherwise remaining in full time employment
• currently jobless and quietly acquiescing as a Fractional to navigate the current hiring downturn, with a preference of returning to full time work when the market allows. 

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Supporting all three types of Fractional is important to us if you are skilled, capable and seek fulfilment through offering help and service to others for the period needed. This is an important point to make as Fractional Advisory comes without the personal ambition of a corporate ladder, you are only assessed on your results. We ensure we assess and understand your intentions and motivations for Fractional work so we can align you most appropriately with work.

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As part of this conversation, we encourage individuals to build their own personal brand, which is crucial for each individual's springboard into the future of work where a big corporate company logo is not a primary selling point but more the experiences and outcomes that they’ve achieved. As such, support might include guidance on thought leadership or public speaking opportunities as a means to showcasing projects and achievements. A strong personal brand is not always easy for a technologist to cultivate but helps each individual attract better opportunities, negotiate better remuneration and establish themselves as experts in their domain.

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Offering a Community to our Engineers and Product Builders as we are stronger as one

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Connecting companies to CTOs, and everyone to our community of engineers and product builders is part of what we do. Creating a community fosters knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration opportunities. It also creates a safe space as transitioning from traditional ways of work can prove difficult for all parties.

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As organisations move away from permanent hires, their worries are numerous and varied from the quality of the work, confidentiality concerns or addressing cultural fit, whilst Fractionals face equally existential challenges such as replacing the stability of a single paycheck with seasonal earnings, addressing the challenge of context switching from project to project with different work style and demands. Ensuring that companies and fractionals can leverage a network to find understanding, mentorship, seek advice on technical challenges, or explore how these partnerships will form the basis for the next wave of work to be solved, is why we are passionate about enabling this form of community led growth. It also enhances the sense of belonging and support among members, contributing to our collective professional and personal growth.

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In Summary

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MISSION+ has been redefining the concept of technical leadership by embracing the concept of Fractional leadership to support the product building needs of our clients. With our expansive network of over 600 designers and engineers, we facilitate not just advisory roles but hands-on execution, enabling our CTOs to play a pivotal role in the technological and strategic success of our various projects. Our holistic approach extends beyond project execution to encompass career development and community engagement, fostering a supportive environment for professionals to embrace their version of a portfolio career. By aligning personal expertise with strategic business needs, we hope for MISSION+ to not just empower leaders in technology but also pave the way for an agile and adaptive leadership to lean into the next wave of work. 

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If you are interested in learning more, you can find us at hello@mission.plus