Executive Spotlight: Colin Hewett

Colin Hewett is an experienced operations executive, consultant, and US Army Veteran who specializes in planning, building infrastructure, processes, and teams for organizations poised for expedited growth. He is passionate about helping organizations with their follow-through to ultimately achieve their goals.

Q&A: Fractional COO, Colin Hewett

Q: When and what made you decide to begin working as a fractional COO?

A: About a year ago, I started down this path. I had the opportunity to be part of two fantastic startups and to be a COO with my most recent startup. I got to understand the role deeply, focusing on problem-solving and setting up teams for success. From there, I engaged with fantastic people through networking and realized many solopreneurs, small business owners, and startups need people, but maybe not at full-time capacity. This gap seemed like an opportunity I could, and it started through networking. 

Initially, I was hesitant and continued interviewing with small healthcare companies. Simultaneously, I began freelance work and conversations with independent business owners, realizing there was a niche for fractional leadership. I got connected to some great people, and I’ve been at it for about a year now. It's been a blast.

What’s unique about it is getting the chance to engage with different organizations, and for me, across different industries too. I have over 12 years of healthcare experience that I can lean on, but I've had the opportunity and fortune to engage and work with organizations in the legal, construction, and recruiting industries as well. You get to take from different perspectives and experiences that you've had and help them problem-solve along the way.

Q: What do you think was the final push that got you into fractional CEO work?

A: Once I got in with my first client and had a deal in place, that's what sold it for me and helped build my confidence. I am a person who likes to be in the background and let everybody else shine. I want to be the person that helps them succeed and grow. That's always been my MO, and so that's where the hesitancy came from. As a fractional executive, you need to be willing to go out and sell your brand and engage in networking, which really took me out of my comfort zone. It's been a push. But as I did it, it opened me up to more experiences, relationships, and opportunities.

It's an opportunity to constantly push myself beyond my boundaries because I think deep down this is really where I wanted to be. Three years ago, I read "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein. It opened my eyes to having a broader breadth of experiences, which adds to your tool belt and helps you problem solve in ways others might not have considered.

Q: Speaking of breadth of experience, how has your service in the US Army informed your approach now?

A: First and foremost, it's about serving something that's larger than yourself. That's the key aspect and value – selfless service. It's about achieving a mission and making sure you can execute and work toward it. You do that through the values and the standards.

What I love about engaging with small organizations, startups, and entrepreneurs is that a lot of times they're still trying to figure that out. I enjoy helping them get ironclad about what it is they want to achieve - what their vision is. If you don't understand that, then you aren't going to truly know what pathway to go down.

And then for the organizations that have their vision and focus, it's about helping them understand how their core values fit into that picture. Underneath are the standards that you set for every single person within the organization which roll up to those core values.

The other key aspect from my experience in the Army is the ability to adapt and overcome. At the end of the day, that's what we had to do. No matter the situation – there are some pretty high-stress situations in the military – you just have to be able to adapt and overcome them.

In small, entrepreneurial-type environments, it's my ability to make sense out of chaos. That’s why I gravitate towards those types of organizations. I enjoy being able to help make decisions in those situations.

Q: As a fractional COO, how do you ensure projects stay on track? Which methods or frameworks do you typically rely on for successful project delivery?

A: From a project standpoint, I cut my teeth, not just in the military, but even as a consultant, using traditional waterfall-type methodology. I've had the fortune of being a part of some organizations like Healthcare Bluebook as a startup where we dabbled in scrum and kanban. When you get those experiences, you understand that you don't have to stick to a framework to a T. You can adapt and work through it as you grow to make sure each piece fits your needs. It's never gonna be one size fits all.

What successful project management comes down to is your ability to communicate. Flat out. Organizations can have a framework, technology in place, processes, and SOPs. It still comes down to your ability to communicate effectively and clearly. How you do that is meaningful.

When I take it up a level, there are many frameworks organizations can use. Maybe, it's an EOS framework or Scaling Up. We scaled up at Healthcare Bluebook, and it was my first introduction to these different types of business frameworks. We set our annual goals, had our big hairy audacious goal, and then we held quarterly strategic planning sessions where we understood our focus.

Smaller businesses often find success with frameworks like EOS. One of my current clients uses EOS, with weekly L10 meetings, VTO (Vision/Traction Organizer), and quarterly planning. And yet, there are still pieces of Scaling Up that I pull from or Lencioni’s methods from “Death by Meeting.” Implementing little pieces of each method is ultimately how you make it your own for your organization.

I love the metaphor for businesses like boats. When you’re a small organization, you’re like a speed boat. You can spin around and pivot very quickly in the water, but as the organization grows, the boat grows. You have to turn more slowly and be more mindful as you grow.

Q: How do you determine which approach you take with a company?

A: It depends on the role I'm stepping into. In some situations, I focus on one functional area, conducting discovery to understand how that function fits and what is needed from my role. Other times, I engage at a leadership or strategic level, performing due diligence similar to a merger or acquisition by asking questions and gathering data.

I engage with different stakeholders, recognizing that those identified initially may not be the only ones involved. At the end of the day, when we're talking about implementing a framework or structure, you need to get down to the end user – the folks with the boots on the ground who are going to be in it more so than anybody else. Get an understanding of their pain points and have in-depth conversations with them.

As you move towards a recommendation or an implementation, you constantly make sure that there's a good feedback loop occurring. Also, conducting lessons learned sessions, even briefly, helps review what went well and what can be improved. In the military, we call these after-action reviews.

In the military, regardless of the role, you're engaging, working, and having to be successful with so many different people from different backgrounds and perspectives. When I talk about adaptability, it's also your ability to adapt to how you communicate, how you motivate, and how you work together as a team.

One of the pieces I continue to say to my team is that you're going to be incredibly successful in any organization if you can learn how to adapt your communication style to the people and clients you're working with because more often than not the other person may not do that. If you're willing to put in the hard work, adjust, and figure out what makes the most sense in these situations, you're going to be so much more successful.

Q: For those looking to make the switch to fractional work, what are your words of advice? What might you do differently?

A: From my experience, the biggest piece is putting myself out there and really engaging with different people. I always step into these conversations without any expectation of landing work – it's just hey, this is who I am and this is what I do.

It was uncomfortable for me at first, but it was about finding those connectors. There are people out there whose superpower is connecting people. You have to go find them. It's about leaning on those types of people because at the end of the day it's about the team and the people you surround yourself with. That's what's cool about organizations like yours – bringing communities of like-minded individuals together.