The Customer Success Economy

19Leadership: What Kind of Leader Do I Need for Customer Success?

One of the best parts of our jobs at Gainsight is helping people in the field of Customer Success achieve their career aspirations. Because we meet so many CS people, we're often at the hub of conversations about hiring. CEOs come to us looking for “the best chief customer officer you know,” and CCOs come to us wondering, “Have you heard of any job openings at companies that value Customer Success?” Sometimes we joke that if our business didn't work out, we would start a staffing firm.

It's been incredible to see the rise in the CCO role. Five years ago, we knew of only a few dozen CCOs in the world. Today, there are thousands of people whose title is CCO or else who have the same role but under a different title: for example, SVP of Customer Success, chief digital officer, and chief success officer, to name a few. Today, executive search firms are building major practice areas in recruiting for this role.

Given the new abundance of this executive role, many folks are wondering what aspects of that role are becoming standard. CEOs wonder, “Will my current CS leader scale with my company? What should I look for when interviewing CCO?” And CCOs wonder, “What skills should I develop and what experiences should I take on? How should I convey my experience when I'm interviewing for a role? And when I take that role, what will be expected of me?”

We'll answer those questions and others in this chapter.

The Next Generation ...