Leading as an Individual Contributor in Customer Success
By Rochelle Shearlds
What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of leadership?
Chances are, you pictured someone who had a specific title. A president. A CEO. A captain. A teacher.
Often, leadership is associated with a title due to traditions. While the term leadership dates back to the 1300s, scientific research began in the 1930s, and thousands of publications have existed with different definitions. If you attempt to purchase every leadership book on Amazon, you will receive over 50,000 books.
Leadership has evolved because organizations have become more complex, and humankind has become more intelligent and creative. As society evolves, organizational success depends on workers adopting a leadership mindset.
Oxford Languages defines leadership as “The act of influencing or guiding a group of people or an organization.”
This definition does not include:
Title
Position
Tenure
Personality Type
Anyone at any level can and should leverage leadership qualities to be effective and successful. It is even more critical to demonstrate leadership in a Customer Success role as you must guide your customers toward their goals through the best use of your organization’s products and services.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
At some point in your CS career, a customer will request a new feature or change in functionality of a current feature. These requests often put the CSM in a challenging position as most times, the feature either does not align with the organization’s design strategy or the engineering effort required of building the feature is not worth the reward to the entire customer base.
Not only are you tasked with delivering a “no”, you must present a workaround in most cases because the problem doesn't disappear. If there is a compelling case to move forward, then you’ll need to work with internal teams to gather requirements, prioritize, and plan.
Once the feature is approved, you’ll need to keep the customer informed, educate the customer on how the feature will impact workflows and associated risks, and partner with Marketing and Product to create materials that are easy to understand.
So, how can you lead from your current level?
HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO START:
Think Bigger: The number one difference between a leader and an individual contributor is the scope of responsibility. IC’s are expected to focus on their assigned work. Leaders are required to focus on how their team’s responsibilities align with the organization’s strategy. Challenge yourself to slow down once a week and think about how your day-to-day is connected to every cross-functional team’s goals. If something isn't quite right, speak up and ask how you can help create a process that improves collaboration and team productivity.
Publicly Acknowledge Team Members' Contributions: Everyone loves recognition, so start looking for opportunities to credit coworkers, especially those who support you directly. It requires a great deal of effort to execute most roles successfully, so when you acknowledge someone’s contributions it motivates them to go above and beyond for you and the organization.
Make it Easy to Receive Support: If I had a dollar for every time I reminded someone to consider the workload of the person they are requesting something from, I could quit my day job. We are all moving fast, and it is easy to forget everyone works hard to do their best. Assuming the best means you are doing your part to make it easy for someone to help you when needed. Avoid making last-minute requests, provide as much information upfront as possible, and create an internal FAQ document that can be leveraged by the Customer Success team and give time back to a cross-functional team member.
Take Ownership: One of the most important ways to lead at any level is to take ownership of your success. Taking ownership starts with understanding what is expected from your role, doing your best to leverage the resources available to be successful, learning from your mistakes, and anticipating ways to improve over time. You will experience increased satisfaction with your contributions and build your confidence.
Branding is Everything: When you think about leaders, you often associate them with their brand. Gandhi was known for his philosophy of peace; President Obama for his message of hope; Mother Teresa for her compassion. They committed to a specific purpose and let that purpose guide their actions and decisions. According to this Forbes article, “your leadership brand is made up of a complex dynamic, like how you behave, react and interact with different groups or individuals in diverse situations, and how you as a leader interact with others to produce outstanding results.” Several resources are available online to help you develop your brand; click the link in the resources section below to help you get started.
You will never “arrive” in your Customer Success or leadership journey. As business needs evolve and you take on new responsibilities, you are required to learn new skills and ways to be more successful. Adopting leadership skills as an individual contributor will not only prepare for a bigger role but help you see success in your current role.
RESOURCES
How to Build Your Personal Brand at Work
How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority by Clay Scroggins
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why by Eric Thomas PhD
Looking to fine-tune your existing position or advance in your career? The Success League is a Customer Success consulting firm that offers both CSM and CS Leadership Certification programs. Please visit TheSuccessLeague.io for more on these and our other offerings.
Rochelle Shearlds - With more than 20 years of experience in post-sales success, Shelly is passionate about optimizing the customer lifecycle to drive revenue growth. She is currently the Senior Director of Account Management and Customer Enablement at Medrio, a Clinical software company supporting the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Clinical Research sectors. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she recently joined the founding team at Success in Black, an organization committed to fostering more diverse, inclusive, and equitable growth within the Saas community.
