Giving Strategic Advice While Everything feels Unsteady
It's 2:30 PM on a Tuesday. I'm on a Zoom call explaining to a client why their leadership team needs to stay focused during a major growth phase, emphasizing the importance of rational decision-making and long-term strategic thinking.
External Talia: "The key is maintaining stability during periods of uncertainty and avoiding reactive decisions..."
Then, I check my other screen and the Phillies are blowing a 4-run lead in the 8th inning, AND everything is happening everywhere at the same time.
Internal Talia: "Why is this happening again?! Alvarado just gave up another home run, and everything is unsteady at the same time!"
This is how it can feel being a fractional executive when both your team and the world go sideways.
The Parallels Are Real
Here's the thing about being a Philly sports fan and someone who is very mindful of world events: we're uniquely equipped to handle shock and disappointment, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. We know the Phillies will find new and creative ways to break our hearts. We know chaos comes in waves. And yet, we remain emotionally invested in outcomes we can't control.
The parallels are uncomfortably perfect:
You want to make dramatic changes immediately
You convince yourself this time is different
You refresh apps obsessively, like somehow the numbers will magically improve
You oscillate between blind optimism and borderline despair, within the same hour
The Fractional Paradox
Whether I'm in a fractional partnership, providing executive-level support, leading an HR project, or managing people operations strategies, my job is to be the steady, guiding voice of reason. The constant. I'm the one saying, "Let's look at the data," "Don't panic hire," "Short-term volatility doesn't change the long-term trajectory."
Meanwhile, I'm internally spiraling because Nola just walked the bases loaded, and world news is basically just screaming into the void.
The cognitive dissonance is real. I'm giving the advice I need to listen to for myself.
Client: "Should we make dramatic changes to our compensation structure because we had a tough quarter?"
Me: "Absolutely not. One quarter doesn't redefine your strategy. Stay focused on fundamentals.”
Also me: immediately checks the Phillies score again because somehow watching Nola struggle makes everything worse.
The Unvarnished Version
Some days, my work is being a sounding board for businesses, while I see myself in their struggles. You're telling CEOs to trust the process while googling ERA stats between calls.
Maybe that's what makes my work more authentic. I understand the challenge of staying strategic when everything feels overwhelming because I'm navigating it too. Right now, my screen shows the Phillies down by 6, the world is serving up its daily dose of chaos, and my business isn’t immune to…any of this.
Because that's what we do in Philadelphia. We get knocked down, we complain loudly about it, and then we get back up and do it again. Even when chaos and our beloved Phillies are both determined to test our sanity.
P.s. All this and we still get to hang a Super Bowl Banner tomorrow night. GO BIRDS!
