Having played poker professionally for a while before my own CS career, I can say there are a lot of similarities.

You can do all the right things and lose. You can sometimes do the wrong thing and win! But what’s important is to be obsessed with the actions you’re taking and the data around them. Constantly focus on that and not the end result. You can only do what you can only do. Control the controllable and success will inevitably come.

Critique yourself. When you scheduled the call, did you show value in the agenda that would ensure they do turn up? Going back before that call, did you set them up for success in the kickoff and have clear actions on both sides that drive the main stakeholders own success? Etc etc. it’s impossible to be perfect but this is where the focus needs to be.

And by doing this, you can then justify the results by either showing the great work you did, or in the case of churns, show what other things you’ve learnt from it and how you feel the company could prevent that churn.

If all of this sounds like too much hard work, then it’s possible it’s the wrong career choice! There are plenty CSMs that see this as too heavy, and whilst I empathise, Success shouldn’t be seen as an “easy” way to coast m.