AMA: Splunk Director, Customer Success Strategy Planning & Management, Chinmay Sardesai on Influencing the C-Suite

To gain momentum with the C-Suite, I recommend aligning with three key groups: 1. Your executive sponsor or direct leader.This is the person who can help frame your message in leadership discussions and vouch for the impact you’re driving. Having their support ensures consistency in narrative and provides top-down support. 2. Data and customer outcomes as your “silent ally.”While not a person, data-based evidence is usually the strongest alignment you can build. When you anchor the conversation ...Read More

That’s a great question, and I can’t tell you how many times leaders find themselves in these situations. It’s tempting to side with the leader who has stronger clout with the CEO, but that can create long-term challenges and issues during execution. As with most things, the answer often lies somewhere in the middle. The real work is in getting everyone aligned toward the common goal, regardless of the strategy chosen. As long as the organization’s goal remains clear and you can secure support f ...Read More

Here are some habits I’ve learned from my mentors and leaders that have helped me when working with senior executives: Less is more. Do your due diligence and have all the data and detailed slides ready if needed, but keep the main content brief. Get to the point quickly. One best practice that has helped me tremendously is being prepared with an executive summary slide. This is a single page that captures everything you planned to cover in the full meeting. Condensing into one page forces you t ...Read More

Regardless of the industry you are in, IMHO, the best thing you can do in a down market like this is invest in yourself - through education, training, certifications, and building your network. You may not see results overnight or immediate success in your day-to-day engagements, but every minute spent preparing yourself will pay off tremendously when conditions improve and new opportunities surface. We are living in unprecedented times, with rapid technological evolution driven by AI and a mark ...Read More

It’s usually easy to tell when you’ve lost an executive’s trust: (i) when you don’t get responses despite multiple follow-ups, (ii) when you are actively ignored or bypassed and the exec goes to someone else in your peer team or directly to your leader, (iii) when discussions start feeling more transactional than strategic. That said, in my experience, it’s hard to put things in black and white with several execs. I do suggest always checking with your leader or a mentor directly if you find you ...Read More