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The short answers.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers on fractional COO and Chief of Staff work, the Operating Diagnostic, executive coaching, what it all costs, where I work, and how to start.
Questions, answered
What is a fractional COO?
A fractional Chief Operating Officer is a senior operations executive who runs the operating side of a company part-time — a set number of days a week over months — and is accountable for outcomes, not just advice. It's how a growing company gets COO-level leadership before it can justify a full-time hire.
What is a fractional Chief of Staff, and how is it different from a fractional COO?
Same operator, different center of gravity. A fractional COO owns the operating half of the business end to end; a fractional Chief of Staff works closer to the founder on priorities, follow-through, and making the leadership team function. When the scope is narrower, it's fractional operations support — the title follows the job.
When should a company hire a fractional COO?
When you need senior operations leadership before the headcount, runway, or certainty is there to hire full-time — often around $2M–$50M in revenue or 15–150 people, when the founder is in every decision or growth has outrun the systems. A fractional COO holds the role part-time and often bridges to the eventual full-time hire.
What's the difference between a fractional COO, a consultant, and an interim executive?
A consultant advises and hands you a deck. An interim executive fills a seat full-time for a fixed gap, usually after someone has left. A fractional COO holds the operating role part-time and ongoing, accountable for outcomes — the leader before you can justify, or yet need, a full-time hire.
How much does a fractional COO cost?
At Critical Path, ongoing fractional support is quoted to the scope and scale of the engagement — there's no standing rate card, because the right number depends on days per week and what you need held. Every engagement starts with the Operating Diagnostic, a fixed $7,500–$12,000, so you see the plan and the shape of the work before committing to anything ongoing.
What is the Operating Diagnostic, and how does a company engagement start?
The Operating Diagnostic is a three-week operational assessment: I interview your team, sit in on your operating meetings, and walk your core process end to end, then hand you a prioritized Operating Attack Plan. It's how every company engagement starts — you leave with a usable plan whether or not we continue. See how it works.
What does the Operating Diagnostic cost?
A fixed fee of $7,500–$12,000, depending on scope and timeframe. The intro and scoping conversations are complimentary, and nothing starts until you've agreed to a written scope. Ongoing support afterward is optional and quoted separately by the scope and scale of the engagement.
What is executive coaching, and does it actually work?
Executive coaching is a confidential thinking partnership for a leader at a hinge point — not therapy, not mentoring, not consulting. Peer-reviewed research shows a moderate, replicated positive effect on performance and goal attainment. Here it's run by a former operator, so the conversation stays grounded in how the work actually gets done.
How much does executive coaching cost?
It varies widely by market — large companies pay $25,000–$100,000+ for senior engagements. At Critical Path, coaching is scoped to the engagement and the number is shared up front in the complimentary first conversation, so there are no surprises.
Do you work with individuals or companies?
Both, through two doors. Individuals come for coaching, a full search campaign, or standalone resume and interview help. Companies come for fractional operations leadership — a fractional COO or Chief of Staff — starting with the Operating Diagnostic, plus targeted special projects.
How is the work priced?
For a company, it starts with the Operating Diagnostic — a fixed $7,500–$12,000 — and any ongoing support is quoted afterward by the scope and scale of the engagement. Coaching and the à-la-carte pieces are each scoped to the engagement and priced up front, in writing.
Do you offer fractional COO and coaching services in Raleigh, the Research Triangle, and remotely?
Yes. Critical Path is based in Raleigh, North Carolina and works on-site across the Research Triangle — Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill — and remotely, nationwide. Fractional and project work is a mix of on-site and remote as the engagement needs; coaching runs mostly remote.
What is Critical Path?
Critical Path is the executive coaching and fractional leadership practice of Brett Coakley, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The method is to find the one sequence that decides the outcome — in a career or a company — and hold it to the finish.
What does ‘one method, two doors’ mean?
One method — find the critical path and hold it — applied two ways: coaching for individual leaders, and fractional leadership for organizations. A third lane, Special Projects, takes on à-la-carte operational engagements and one-off builds that fit neither door.
How do I start?
One conversation: twenty minutes, complimentary. We'll find the critical path from there. Book a time, or start here if you're not sure which door is yours.
Start with one conversation.
Twenty minutes, no cost. We'll find the critical path from there.