The Best People You’ve Ever Had

By John Arms, Advocate for The Fractional Revolution

Think about the best person you’ve ever had on your team.

Was it their pedigree that made them so? Their title? Their pay? Their spotless résumé? Nope, nope, and nope.

When you look back, the best ones most likely had an independent streak. That’s what made them great. They didn’t wait for politics to clear or for someone else to give them permission. They weren’t particularly careful. They weren’t always polite. They had no problem shaking things up. They did not hold back on pushing back.

They were ruthlessly focused on making forward progress for the team and the mission. They had that look in their eye, and confidence in their step.

They were the one who said, “This strategy is dead—why are we pretending it isn’t?” They were the one who picked up the phone and calmed the angry customer everyone else was hiding from. They were the one who killed the pet project you loved but the market hated. They were the one who saw the competitor eating your lunch and said, “We’re pivoting, now,” before anyone else had the guts to admit it.

They didn’t just move your business forward. They dragged it there like a dog being taken to the vet.

And yes—they probably irritated you. They didn’t always “do what they were told.” But tell me—have you ever once regretted having them on your team?

Independence Builds Growth

History proves it.

• Paul Buchheit at Google didn’t ask permission to build Gmail. He just did it.

• Art Fry at 3M took a “failed” adhesive and turned it into the Post-it Note you still use every day.

• Bette Nesmith Graham, a secretary tired of typing mistakes, mixed up a batch of white paint in her kitchen and invented Liquid Paper — eventually selling it for millions.

Growth is never born from obedience. It’s born from independence.

Why Companies Get Stuck

Too many leaders still hire for control. They want scopes, lanes, order-takers. People who will “fit in” and keep the machine running.

And it’s not just individual leaders — the whole system is built this way. Job postings written like prescriptions. Résumé filters looking for keywords instead of character. Interviews designed to screen for “fit,” which really means don’t rock the boat.

From end to end, the process is engineered to reward conformity. And conformity doesn’t spark growth. It smothers it.

That’s not growth. That’s maintenance.

It’s your future. Your growth. Your legacy. Your exit.

Will staking all of that on obedience even work? Of course not.

If you are to grow or exit, you will have to push, grow, and advance your way there.

If you build a fence around what you have now, you won’t grow. And when the time comes, you won’t just be unhappy with your exit — you’ll be haunted by it. Less wealthy. Less satisfied. Unfulfilled.

Fractional Talent Is That Independence

This is why Fractional professionals matter.

They aren’t just a clever way to grow. They are the antidote to a system that no longer works.

The traditional way of hiring is broken. The traditional way of working is broken too.

There is no growth when the day is eight hours of back-to-back meetings. No growth when people are reactive instead of proactive. No growth when every move is micromanaged.

I’ve said it a million times: hire the right people, then get the hell out of their way.

Fractionals are those people.

They bring in wisdom, acumen, and leadership exactly in the lanes where you are weak.

• In sales, they build pipelines you’ve been promised but never built.

• In marketing, they create meaning around your brand — from the very top of the funnel all the way through the bottom.

• In finance, they bring discipline to the numbers so you stop guessing.

• In operations, they calm the chaos.

• And it’s the same in HR, IT, product, customer service… on and on and on.

They strengthen your blind spots. They unlock capacity. They see what you can’t — and move where you won’t.

They are the bold independents who bring expertise on Day One, tell you what others won’t, and solve the problems everyone else avoids. They move fast, without the drag of politics, titles, or overhead.

Fractionals don’t maintain. They accelerate. They make you stronger.

Why Voyageur U Exists

Voyageur U exists to unleash this kind of bold independence. To help seasoned professionals shed the grind, step into Fractional work, and bring their full force to the businesses that need them most.

We also exist for the businesses themselves — to supply them with the Fractionals who will move them forward, break through the barriers, and create growth where the old system cannot.

Because the best people you’ve ever had weren’t obedient. They were independent.

And if you want growth, wealth, fulfillment, and a legacy you’re proud of — you’ll need them again.

Go Fractional, John

John Arms has been empowering professionals to become Fractional leaders since 2018.

https://voyageur-university.com

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