Michael Stratton

Support becomes the default owner for anything that doesn’t have a home. Broken processes, missing documentation, product gaps, bad handoffs. When that happens, support stops being support. It becomes: --An escalation engine --A shadow product triage team --A training department --A process fixer --A reporting function That hides systemic problems and burns people out. The solution isn’t “work harder.” It’s setting boundaries and assigning ownership. Practical steps: --Define what support owns, and what it doesn’t --Route repeated non-support work upstream (Product/Ops/PS) --Make intake explicit: what information is required, what queue it goes to, who owns it --Turn “we solved it” into “we fixed the system” when patterns repeat If everything is support’s responsibility, nothing is accountable. Pro Tip: Do a 30-minute “catch-all audit.” List the top 10 recurring tasks in the support backlog that aren’t truly support responsibilities. Assign an upstream owner for one of them this week and remove it from support’s workload.

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At some point, the climb stops being about titles, and starts being about meaning. Lately, I’ve had more conversations with peers in their 40s and 50s who are quietly asking: “What’s next for me?” Not because they’ve failed, but because they’ve outgrown what once defined success. I wrote a short reflection on the 5 questions every midlife professional should ask themselves, a simple framework to help you pause, realign, and rediscover purpose. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gfMZv_hF

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If your team needs you to move things forward, you might be the bottleneck. Initially, I believed my role was to eliminate blockers by jumping into escalations, making tough calls, and helping to push things along. While this approach seemed effective in the moment, I've come to realize that it often fosters a long-term dependency on leadership presence. Recently, a CSAM raised a late-stage customer concern that was gaining executive visibility. My instinct was to intervene immediately. Instead, I paused and asked: - Who owns the communication here? - What tradeoffs are you considering? - At what point does this truly require escalation? Through this conversation, the path to resolution became clear without needing leadership intervention. A year ago, I would have stepped in to assist, but I’ve learned that such "help" can inadvertently signal to the team that independent action carries more risk than delay. This shift has led to slower decision-making, earlier issue flagging, increased escalations, and a tendency for people to wait for input that previously didn’t require it. The transition for me has been from asking, “How can I help right now?” to “What guardrail would allow this to move forward without me next time?” Helpful leaders solve problems, but scalable leaders create environments where good judgment can extend beyond authority. Where have you seen 'being helpful' unintentionally slow down execution #Leadership #CustomerSuccess

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Deciding to leave my previous company was a huge risk for me. I was leaving a team I loved, tremendous leadership, and a great product with strong potential. But after being there for five years, I was desiring to get some new career experiences. I chose ScalePad for many reasons, but one key part in my decision was I wanted to experience a SaaS company that was focused more on SMB customers. After one year, I can definitely say I'm loving the SMB focus, why? 1. You have to move fast in every aspect .... product innovation, GTM, the customer journey, etc. There is no time to wait and see as the competition is fierce. This results in lots of innovation and opportunity for my teams, which creates a lot of excitement, growth, and belief in success. 2. You see the results of any changes you make very quickly. I've introduced 5+ new customer facing roles and new aspects to our customer journey. The impact of these are realized much more quickly than when supporting Mid-Market / Enterprise customers, which is incredibly rewarding for everyone involved. 3. You can't live without data. When supporting Mid-Market and Enterprise customers, your relationships with your customers can help cover for the lack of data you have. At a SMB focused company, you don't have the customer relationship security blanket ... so customer and product data/insights becomes part of the company DNA. I see a lot of people in their career aspire to work more with Enterprise customers or an Enterprise focused SaaS company ... they see that as more prestigious. But for me, it has been incredibly rewarding to experience the other side. Thanks to the entire team ScalePad for a wonderful first year.

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The priority is clear: in a data-dependent world, understanding what an ironclad data architecture looks like and how it can deliver for your organization is the difference between dominanting the court or warming the bench.

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Challenging observation in developing leaders: some "below the fold" behavior patterns greatly diminish much of the good that leader contributes. For instance you could have a brilliant leader who lacks the discipline in a meeting to identify the important versus the timely: meetings go long, wander, and their brilliance is masked. When hiring leaders, the tendency is to come up with many (say 12) must-haves, but in practice no one person is perfect so how do we work through the compromises? Does a hierarchy of must-haves help (If we said we wouldn't hire a person, no matter how good their other performance on item 4, if they didn't have item 2)? A few of mine: 1) "we" thinking - working from the realization that the larger team (including our customers) are actually one team, leaving no room for "Us" and "Them" 2) positivity - focus on what we're building, focus on creation, on what can be done and what can be solved 3) mental discipline - be able to think ahead 3 steps, listen carefully and capture nuance, and stay on track to completion of the most important What are yours?

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We've all been told to practice active listening, but what about collaborative listening? In recent years I've thought a lot about what makes a great conversation flow and produce results that go beyond just listening, toward collaborating. I think this looks a lot like improv. An important rule of improv is the "yes, and..." - no matter how absurd the lead, you follow it, you add to it, you return the volley. You don't block, you don't negate, you don't make statements disguised as questions. This isn't for every occasion - sometimes you need to just listen - but we are often helping someone else process their own thoughts. Next time you are doing this, consider the "yes, and..." - see what results. I wrote about a few of the techniques I use for collaborative listening - let me know if you have other tools. https://lnkd.in/g33SEAPP

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If you're looking for what separates good from great from the court, to the classroom, to the boardroom -- learning the 10 truths of coachability that my good friend Ric Bucher expands upon in his new book COACHABLE is a must. Highly recommend it!

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“The first step of urgency is proactivity.” I’m interviewing folks for a product operations role and one of the candidates this afternoon asked me what “urgency” meant to me. I’m curious if this resonates: When fostering teams to act with urgency, focus on creating a *proactive* environment. Starting to unpack and address headwinds to that - old habits, new skills, breaking perceived barriers, goal setting, ways of working, etc. - unlocks the minds and hands you need to solve problems, move and create value faster. There’s a compounding effect. And that momentum can be unlocked without burning folks out. https://lnkd.in/exE8Mdpr

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To the new Leaders: It’s okay to not have all the answers. 💡 Moving into leadership is a significant shift. I’ve found that the pressure to be the technical expert in every room can often be a distraction. It’s okay not to be the deepest technical expert in every conversation. The real key is knowing where to step in to provide the most value. 🎯 In my experience, that value comes from paving the path rather than walking it for the team: Know where to step in: Use your judgment to solve the high-level hurdles your team can’t—like removing bureaucratic friction or providing strategic alignment. When the road is clear, they have the space to run. 🛣️ Guide and then trust: Provide the compass and the direction, then give them the space to execute. You don’t need to hold hands; you just need to ensure they are empowered and have the right tools. 🧭 When we shift from "doing" to "enabling," we aren't just managing tasks—we are building a foundation for the team to go further than we ever could alone. ✨ Remember: You weren't promoted because you knew everything. You were promoted because you have the judgment to find the right path. Trust the process, and trust the judgment that brought you here. 🤝 #Leadership #ExecutiveGrowth #Mentorship #StrategyExecution #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Adrian Swinscoe uncovers the latest thinking on the efficiency gains from AI and automation in CX - the “service dividend." The core idea is that when AI successfully automates simple, high-volume customer queries (reducing the load on human agents), the resulting capacity and financial savings (the "dividend") should be reinvested to enhance the human-delivered service experience. We are seeing something similar in customers who realize that some of their competitive differentiation lies truly in their people-first culture. Differentiation via AI is a race to sameness. Once the novelty has worn off and customer expectations have been reset, the brand loyalty winners in areas like money/finance, health/wellness, and family/relationships will still come down to personal interactions. Even in B2B. I particularly appreciated this story about an e-commerce company that used the increased agent capacity to “turn the phones on” to spend more time talking to customers, solving tricky problems, building connection,s and adding value, secure in the belief that if they do so, it will yield positive returns for the business in terms of increased loyalty, revenue, and profitability. Link to full article: https://lnkd.in/eam_GKnf cc Glance

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We scaled from 254 kids to 2,500+ in a year. Not because conditions were perfect Because we stopped waiting for them to be We built systems during uncertainty We made decisions without full clarity We kept moving when it would’ve been easier to pause Growth doesn’t happen when things feel safe It happens when you move anyway Real leadership isn’t loud It’s consistent If you’re waiting for the right conditions you’ll be waiting a long time

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"Slow is smooth, Smooth is fast, [Fast is Deadly]" I first learned this phrase from a TV show, and it was shortly later reinforced in business through a mentor. We often think that success in business is about moving quickly and aggressively. But what if the opposite were true? The philosophy behind the phrase "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" offers a powerful lesson in strategy and execution. I am a history and origin geek so I started researching where it came from: --- While this modern saying is famously associated with elite groups like the U.S. Navy SEALs,and other military and law enforcement groups (indeed that is what the show was I learned it from), its roots go much deeper. I learned about 2 major areas it came from Rome: Roman Emperor Augustus lived by the principle of "festina~lente" or "make haste slowly," understanding that haste often leads to error. Martial Arts: This wisdom is also a cornerstone of martial arts. Disciplines like Tai Chi, Judo, Kung Fu, and Karate all spend countless hours on slow, deliberate movements. They learn that perfecting the form and eliminating wasted motion at a measured pace is the only way to achieve genuine speed and power. Rushing a technique leads to sloppy execution, which is both inefficient and ineffective. When reflecting on this personally more this is also seen in many Yoga practices and in modern strength training. All the strength training I learn from Tonal coaches repeat the same thing - "form over everything". Going slow and getting your form is better than doing bad form fast and hurting yourself ---- All of this history and context translates to how "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" is essential in business In business, this means meticulous planning, deliberate execution, and a deep understanding of core processes. By taking the time to build a strong foundation, whether that's in product development, team training, or market strategy, we create people, processes, and systems that are resilient, effective, and ultimately, faster in the long run. ---- Finally, I want to address a common misconception. Every founder reading this is like "wonderful idea but I can't afford to move slow! have you seen the world? Everything is fast! Slow companies die!" Don't mistake deliberate action for inaction. The true speed advantage comes not from rushing, but from the flawless execution that can only be built through patience and precision. Is it faster to do something 10x over 12 months, or 1x over 3 months?

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🔧 Your Legacy System Isn't the Enemy - But It Might Be Slowing You Down… Sluggish performance, system crashes, and outdated architecture don’t just frustrate users - they block your team’s growth and innovation. But here’s the truth 👉 You don’t need a full rebuild to move forward. At ArchySoft, we specialize in helping tech teams modernize without starting from scratch - with smart refactoring, hybrid migrations, and system-by-system evolution. 👀 Curious how it works? Swipe through the carousel to see real-world scenarios and simple paths to transformation. #LegacyModernization #TechLeadership #DigitalTransformation #SoftwareRefactoring #SystemMigration #ArchySoft #SoftwareDevelopment #ScalableArchitecture #IT #InnovationWithoutRebuild #TechOps #LegacySystems #ModernSoftwareSolutions

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Join Dayforce as we explore what this moment means for HR leadership. From unlocking trusted data to enabling AI as a true force multiplier, we’ll discuss how human-centric AI can elevate employee potential, accelerate learning velocity, and drive higher-impact work.  CTA: https://lnkd.in/evc5R7rR

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Early in my career, I thought strong leadership meant knowing it all and tracking every little thing. But I quickly learned micromanagement kills creativity and slows everything down. Today, my leadership style focuses on empowering great teams and giving them just enough structure to stay on track. Here’s how that plays out: 1. Clear direction: Every project starts with defined goals, linked directly to what matters for our business and customers. 2. Purposeful check-ins: I meet with teams weekly, not to nitpick tasks, but to uncover issues and spark new ideas. 3. Visible timelines: We set delivery targets early and adjust them openly as things shift. 4. Right tools and backing: This means providing the tech, data, and room for innovation. This approach has worked well across major initiatives, from cloud migrations to AI transformations, because it builds trust, accountability, and real momentum. If you've ever wrestled with giving support without taking over, I'm curious: Where have you seen empowered leadership truly shine? 💬 #Leadership #TeamEmpowerment #ManagementTips #GrowthMindset

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When products are unclear, everything downstream gets harder. This video is a quick look at our Product Catalog (PCAT), where products, services, and resources are defined in a simple, structured way so teams don’t have to guess later. 🎥 Portal walkthrough 📌 Save this for later Explore our Product Catalog (PCAT): https://promon.co.in/pcat #ProductCatalog #PCAT #TelecomBSS #ProductDesign #SaaSProduct #technology #promon

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