Panel Discussion - Customer Success and Mental Health - Part One

Welcome to The Gainsight Gamechanger Podcast, a space where we recognize and celebrate people who change the game of customer success and product experience for their companies, customers, teammates, and partners.

The COVID19 pandemic heavily impacted our reality, as entire countries were forced to implement mandatory lockdowns to protect their people. Adapting to such abrupt changes has been difficult for everyone, and the mental health costs have been unmeasurable. Today’s episode is very special, as our host, Adam Joseph, sits down with CSM professionals, colleagues, and friends to address the importance of taking care of our mental health in both the professional and personal aspects of our lives.

In today’s discussion, we’ll listen to the thoughts, insights, and opinions of Emma Rogers, CSM at reed.co.uk, Shari Srebnick, Head of Client Success at Searchmetrics, Alex Tran, Customer Outcome Manager at Gainsight, and Matt Myszkowski, Vice President for Customer Success at EMEA SAP.

Currently, overwhelm, burnout and overall discomfort are easily the predominant emotions for a lot of employees and employers, and this is why it is so important to bring mental health to the center of the conversation. In times of uncertainty, we all need to be kinder to ourselves and finally accept that it is okay to not be okay. Listen to this episode to learn a variety of practical tips and tricks from Customer Success professionals to improve your mental health and find some comfort inside your mind. This episode will help you show you the importance of vulnerability and how you and your team can transform your project into a more humane and fruitful one.

Jump straight into:

(01:36) - An introduction of today’s guests, their backgrounds and their experience regarding mental health awareness.

(12:14) - How do Sales and Customer Success influence professionals’ mental health? - “Rejection is not great, we don’t like it as human beings. In sales, your whole day is full of that.”

(14:57) - Alex’s experience and tips to manage the demands of a CSM job - “Recognize that you can’t do it all, and be okay with that.”

(17:36) - I shouldn’t be a lonely place: how leaders are allowed to be vulnerable in front of their teams - “People tend to think vulnerability is weakness, when it’s one of the greatest measures of courage.”

(21:27) - The importance of becoming aware and validating everyone’s experiences through uncertain times - “We’re all in the same storm, but our boats are unique and different.”

(24:55) - Why teams need and demand for authenticity - ”People would rather follow a leader who is real, rather than a leader who’s always right.”

(26:45) - Small and doable actions to find ease and improve your mental health from home - “Start becoming aware of your triggers allows you to react and respond before you get to that stage that is not a good place to be in.”

(34:57) - How can teams collaborate and create a healthier environment starting today? - “Create a culture of vulnerability, and that starts with the leader.”

Resources

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