How to go from busy to strategic as a CSM

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“I want to be Strategic.”  

This is one of the most repeated requests I hear from CSMs during mentoring sessions. They want to step up, move away from their day-to-day tasks, and focus on value-driving activities. Consequently, they want to have more impact on their organizations while leading their customers to success.

Being strategic does not mean that CSMs immediately get a promotion. However, CSMs need to gain credibility and a sense of seniority within the role. CSM should develop this muscle for two primary reasons.

• It helps you maintain your role as a trusted advisor and get access to strategic stakeholders.
• It’s a building block for professional growth, allowing you more influence both within and outside your CSM role.

But being strategic is easier said than done.

The reality of CSMs is dynamic, challenging, and requires continuous prioritization of activities. Often, CSMs are in the “trenches” busy all day, balancing multiple tasks under pressure and tight timelines.

However, the first step has to be a mindset change. CSMs can develop their strategic thinking but must first throw away the “I am too busy” excuse.

In this article, I will describe the essential aspects CSMs should follow to enhance their strategic approach and offer tips and ideas to improve planning, execution, and learning.

Planning

‍“Your actions and achievements should contribute to the organization’s success. “

This guideline seems straightforward; however, it is natural to lose track of the bigger picture while being dragged into solving issues and fighting escalations. You can start by improving your planning and taking a broader view of the situations you manage and the priorities you set for yourself.

Here are a few guidelines to consider:

• Be familiar with the strategy of your organization. This usually comes from the CEO and management. If you're unsure, ask. Proactively clarify your organization's top priorities. Once you know these, you can align your Customer Success team's objectives and KPIs accordingly. Your team leader is there to help ensure your goals stay connected to the "big picture."
• Your KPIs should govern your schedule and planning. When prioritizing your efforts, always ask:
  • Will this action drive product adoption?
  • Will it improve customer engagement?
  • Will it help with the next renewal?

These questions help balance problem-solving with strategic thinking.

🔑 Example: Handling customer escalations due to a product defect can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, you're working hard to fix the issue, but you might have a partial picture. It’s easy to focus on the defect when, in reality, it’s just a tiny part of a bigger problem. Often, customer complaints are rooted in unmet expectations or product gaps, which need a deeper response.

When that’s the case, it’s essential to pause. Instead of rushing to resolve the immediate issue, take a step back. Gather information, consult with your team, and look at the long-term challenge.

📝 Assembling the right tools and resources for success

Being strategic isn’t just about doing more work. It’s about working smarter. One of the best ways to do that? Collaborating with colleagues who complement your strengths and tapping into the right tools and processes. This leads to high-quality outcomes and consistent deliverables.

When assessing your needs, it helps to look at things from three key angles:

• Mental (and Personal): Your mindset is a powerful tool. Look back on your past wins—what worked? What made you feel confident? Use those memories to fuel your purpose and maintain positive thinking. This mindset is critical when navigating future challenges and planning your next move.
• Relational (and Collaborative): Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. Find colleagues who will push you to grow. This could mean finding a mentor; it doesn’t always have to be someone in your field. A few of my best mentors came from sales and finance. They brought fresh perspectives on customer engagement, which made a huge difference in how I approached my work. Think about it: who’s that person in your network or organization that always brings a new perspective? Reach out to them!
• Environmental (and Relationship): Create an environment that fosters trust and empowerment. Whether you lead a team or contribute individually, you can't win alone. Support those around you and let them support you in return. Building strong relationships with other teams—like Sales, Support, and Product—is vital. Regularly sharing information and feedback strengthens those connections. It’s all about visibility and trust. And when that’s established, you’ll see real collaboration, which helps secure new clients and grow your existing customer base.

Remember: No one succeeds in isolation. The strongest teams are built on shared goals and open communication.

Execution

You don’t need to be “strategic” in your everyday professional interactions, but you can follow a few simple principles to instill a strategic mindset in your role.

Prioritizing your schedule

When prioritizing your schedule, consider spending more time resolving challenges and acting on opportunities directly related to your KPIs. As indicated earlier, a strategic approach starts with planning and should resume with effective task execution focused on contributing to the CS team and organization goals.

🔑 Example: Reduce the 1-1 ad-hoc calls in which you chase or “follow up” colleagues to perform their jobs. This can be managed via messaging applications (Teams, Slack, etc.). Schedule these calls when you can combine high-impact follow-up items with the need to coordinate between multiple teams. You will take control of these alignment actions for your customers' benefit while being acknowledged as the acting leader who drives the teams to complete high-priority activities.

Aligning your team and colleagues

Occasionally, you will be expected to reframe the situation, provide additional context, and keep everyone on the same page. This will be needed when hitting a “roadblock” or when solutions based on a collaborative decision-making process are required.

🔑 Example: Let’s say a customer escalation requires quick action. You’ll need input from multiple teams before responding. The Customer Success Manager can lead by ensuring everyone is updated, and the resolution process moves smoothly. This is a chance for CSMs to step up, offering clear direction while showing leadership.

Internal account plans are a great resource, especially when dealing with large enterprise accounts with multiple moving parts and stakeholders. A CSM can use these plans to present a clear strategy and a set of actionable steps. This is your moment to showcase strategic thinking—laying out a vision that leads to meaningful execution.

Your added value

A strategic mindset is about leveraging your unique capabilities and strengths to make an impact that others cannot make, given the situation. This is how you prove your value to customers and internally in your team and organization.

🔑 Example: CSMs can be trusted advisors to their customers. They can expand their influence and demonstrate forward-thinking and sound judgment to benefit the customer and their organization.

Internally, you are the “Go-to” person to consult regarding customer engagement in your organization. Sales, Marketing, Product, and senior executives should approach you seeking your perspectives before deciding or taking action that will affect your customers. This position and your ability to influence stakeholders’ decision-making process will put you under the spotlight, and this is where strategic CSM wants to be, someone who is a key enabler for customer and stakeholder engagements.

Your impact

You may not have formal authority, but that doesn’t limit your leadership ability. The real question is: What do I want people to feel and do because of my actions?

This impact requires reflection, self-awareness, and a strong sense of purpose. It also demands leadership that empowers you to make that impact, even when navigating complex situations.

Here’s a lesson I learned early on. Ten years ago, on my first day at a new job, my manager told me, “You are the CEO of your book of business. Lead like one, and make others follow your vision.” That stuck with me. It motivated me to lead initiatives, mobilize teams, and drive customer retention and growth.

Learning

We are not born “strategists,” but we can learn to develop this mindset.

We will follow the principles of strategic planning and execution; sometimes, we will be successful, and other times, we will fail.

The challenge is acknowledging the root cause and subsequently focusing on the path to yield the best outcome and improvements.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

1. Create a structured learning approach

Learning requires structure. Without a clear plan, losing focus is easy, especially when learning spans multiple areas. Prioritize what’s most essential and set milestones to monitor your progress.

🔑 Example: Finding the right balance between building your expertise and improving soft skills is important. Both are necessary for success, but knowing when to focus on one over the other takes some thought and planning. Another area to focus on is learning from customer churn. Analyzing why customers leave can offer insights that help you, your team, and the entire organization. You can improve future retention and overall performance by breaking down these lessons and applying specific changes.

2. Ask for feedback

Self-reflection is super beneficial, but the feedback we receive from others also fuels part of our learning. We can ask for input from various stakeholders: customers, partners, direct managers, and colleagues.

Working with a mentor can also provide an unbiased source for feedback and reflection. A mentor can offer a different perspective and highlight new aspects of performance improvements. A mentor can also explore your approach and make specific suggestions for adopting a strategic mindset.

3. Lead “lessons learned” sessions

CSMs have a priceless opportunity to learn while conducting lessons-learned exercises. This practice should be instilled as part of the CS team methodology and not necessarily in the context of bad customer feedback. The lessons learned should highlight what we should keep as a proven practice to retain and grow customer engagements.

CSMs, being on the front line, position themselves as instrumental in leading and promoting lessons-learned exercises. This can drive conclusions and actions impacting both their performance and company strategy.

Summary

A strategic mindset is an essential muscle for Customer Success Managers (CSMs) to switch points of view easily. CSMs look beyond day-to-day interactions and focus on long-term goals that drive business growth and customer satisfaction. This mindset enables CSMs to align their efforts with the broader business objectives, ensuring that customer success initiatives contribute to the company's overall strategy. Moreover, a strategic mindset fosters innovation, allowing CSMs to implement creative solutions and continuously improve the customer experience.

Adopting a strategic mindset will improve your performance and align your added value with the organization's goals. Don’t wait anymore. Now is the time to take control of your professional growth and think strategically.