Why great CSMs fail as CS leaders

Hey CS Pro,

Ever feel like you’re doing everything right as a CS leader, but still missing targets?

You’re not alone. This episode is your wake-up call to step out of reactive leadership and into strategic impact.

Let’s dive into the biggest mistakes that might be holding you (and your team) back… and more importantly, how to fix them.

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The Super CSM Trap

Let’s start with a truth bomb. Being a great CSM does not automatically make you a great leader.

One of the most common and costly mistakes CS leaders make? Staying stuck in the weeds.

If you’re reviewing every QBR deck, sitting in every customer call, and jumping in to solve every issue, you’re not leading. You’re duplicating effort. And it’s a recipe for burnout, for both you and your team.

Leadership is about multiplication, not duplication.

You need to shift from being the hero to building the systems that allow your team to thrive without you in the room.

Start by asking yourself:

• What repeatable tasks am I still owning?

• Where can I delegate and trust?

• What playbooks need to be built?

You’re not a leader if the team only functions when you’re online.

You’re Not Just a CS Leader, You’re a Revenue Leader

Still talking about churn and NPS in your exec meetings?

It’s time to elevate the narrative.

Executives care about growth. So if you’re not aligning CS with revenue, expansion, renewal influence, product adoption that drives upsell, you’re missing the opportunity to prove impact where it matters most.

This is the mindset shift that transformed my career.

Every project, initiative, or conversation should have a commercial lens. Not in a pushy sales way, but in a this is how we help the business grow way.

You need to speak the CFO’s language, not just the customer’s.

That means:

• Mapping impact to revenue outcomes

• Building a clear story that shows CS influence on retention and growth

• Making revenue part of everyone’s role on your team

Whether you’re a first-time CS manager or a seasoned VP, this is the shift that changes everything.

Mistakes You Might Be Making (Even If You Think You’re Not)

Here’s a roundup of the biggest mistakes I’ve made and still see CS leaders make every day:

1. Hiring for experience, not coachability

The best CS teams are built from people who are hungry to grow, not just those who’ve been there, done that. Look for adaptability over years in seat.

2. Not defining success clearly

If your team doesn’t know what good looks like, they’ll just do more. More meetings. More emails. More noise. You need to define what outcomes matter, and how to measure them.

3. Waiting for permission to lead cross-functionally

CS touches everything: sales, product, marketing, finance. Stop waiting for an invite. Collaborate early and often to shape the full customer journey.

4. Tracking effort, not impact

Your team might be working hard. But are they working on the right things? Activity isn’t the same as outcomes. Make revenue part of the story you track and tell.

5. Thinking you’re the only one who can do it right

Micromanaging kills morale and scalability. Build playbooks. Train your team. And trust them to own it.

You don’t need to be in every room. But your systems and influence should be.

This Week’s Challenge: Let Go to Level Up

Write down one thing you’re doing right now that someone else on your team or in another function could do instead.

Then schedule a meeting to hand it off. Clearly. Completely. Confidently.

Bonus points if you build a checklist, Notion doc, or mini-playbook to go with it.

Let go of the only I can do this mindset.

Your job isn’t to do the work. It’s to build the systems that make great work happen.

CS Leadership Bootcamp Webinar with ClientSuccess

Upcoming Webinar: Talk Value, Not Features: The Language Shift That Wins More Executive Buy-In

Hosted by Kristi Faltorusso, CCO, ClientSuccess
Guest: Anika Zubair, Founder & CEO of The Customer Success Pro

Webinar Date: Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025

Executives don’t care about your roadmap, they care about results.

You’ll learn how to:

• How to reframe your conversations around value, not features

• The language executives listen for—and what makes them tune out

• Practical examples and frameworks you can apply immediately

• How to position your solution as critical to achieving strategic goals

Whether you’re in Customer Success, Sales, or Solutions, this session will help you shift your approach to speaking the language of executives—and winning stronger alignment, faster.

Reserve your spot today and start turning conversations into commitments.

That’s it for this week!

Listen Now and Build Scalable CS Leadership

This episode is a must-listen if you’re ready to scale your CS org without burning out or burning your team out.

Have a listen to the latest podcast:

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika

PS - CSM RevUP Academy is currently full. Don't miss your shot at next time! Get the strategies, playbooks, and build your confidence into a revenue-generating CS Pro. Join the VIP Waitlist today to be first notified when the doors open again.