Monday Guest Dan Ennis
Get to know Dan Ennis
By: Mohammed Alqaq | December 19, 2022
My name is Dan Ennis and I manage the US Scale Customer Success team at monday.com. I’ve been with monday for a little over 2 years, and in Customer Success for over 9 years.
I love working with customers and teams to help achieve the highest level of customer outcomes possible.
Experienced SaaS Customer Success Manager with a demonstrated history of growing adoption, driving outcomes, and increasing revenue and retention with customers of all sizes, from SMB to enterprise.
Advocate for the “voice of the customer” to be heard in all aspects of the organization, and a strategic advisor to customers in accomplishing their business goals.
” I love working with customers and teams to help achieve the highest level of customer outcomes possible.”
We asked Dan to take us through a journey telling us about his career path, how he spends his workday, what advice he can share with someone starting as a customer success manager, and many other questions.
Enjoy reading this interview
Tell us about your career path ? and How did you join Customer Success?
I got started in Customer Service working in benefits administration and realized I loved working with complex accounts. I eventually moved into account management in that same industry and saw the need to ensure customers were using our software.
This led me to seek out formal Customer Success positions and grow within the SaaS space from an individual contributor with all types of accounts to a people manager.
I joined Customer Success after wanting to make the move into tech and realizing how much of what I did fit with the goals of Customer Success. It’s been a great journey!
How would you describe the ideal CSM candidate?
The ideal CSM candidate is curious, has strong business skills, is customer-oriented, thinks strategically, and has a focus on outcomes not just inputs.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out as a Customer Success Manager?
Learn as much as possible! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at first (with your product, with SaaS, with CS in general) but the community and your colleagues are your best resource. Spend as much time learning as you can, since that knowledge will all pay dividends down the line.
A second piece of advice I’d give is don’t be afraid to try and fail! Fear of failure will hold you back from success in the long run.
Learn as much as possible!
Don’t be afraid to try and fail!
Can you take us on a journey describing what your workday looks like?
I know it’s cliché, but no 2 days are identical! So here’s a rough idea:
Begin the day with looking at my priorities of what I need to accomplish that week/day.
Then I make sure to connect with my team and internal partners on what I might have missed (we’re a global org, so lots of asynchronous working and collaboration occurs).
Then my days typically consist of strategic meetings with internal partners, 1:1s with my team, whatever project and process improvement work is needed at the moment, wrapping the days with long-term strategic planning and learning via connecting with the CS community.
What makes you feel inspired or motivated?
Hands down it’s seeing others’ successes that I know I had a part in. As a leader, seeing others succeed is a massive part of my internal motivation and drive.
What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
That’s a good question!
People are generally surprised at how introverted I actually can be since I am rather outgoing but really recharge in the typical introvert ways of “alone time”.
Who do you look up to the most?
There are too many people! Internally at my company, I look up to a lot but want to especially highlight Tom Ronen and Kim Landau. They are great leaders who have a perfect balance of business strategy with a human-first perspective.
External to my company I would narrow it down to three people: Jan Young for her ability to connect and modeling boundless curiosity in the CS space while investing in others, Erika Villareal for her commitment to lifting others up and helping others with the content she creates, and Jay Nathan for pioneering a lot of thought leadership that is forward-looking in the industry.
What are your top 3 priorities now?
Right now my priorities are: Efficiency going into the new year, streamlining our digital processes, and coaching the team through these times we’re in.
What advice would you give to Customer Success Managers to grow and develop their careers?
Keep Learning
Document all your wins and their business impact. Leadership cares about the business impact at the end of the day, so being able to tie your wins to that is a massive step in their development.
What’s your favorite book, and why?
I have too many! I’ll list a recent favorite rather than an overall favorite.
I read Atomic Habits last year and I think it was transformative for how I approach my career and personal life.
Have you had your “I’ve made it” moment yet?
Yes and no!
I’ve had several moments that were big wins that at the moment felt like “I’ve made it” in terms of accomplishing things I didn’t previously think I could, but at the same time each of those moments also led to showing how much more there is still left to accomplish. I mean that in the best way possible!
What should I have asked you but didn’t?
Nothing I can think of. You’re a thorough interviewer!
Where can people go to find out more about you?
Thank you, Dan, for sharing your knowledge and for the opportunity to know you more.
Do you have a Customer Success Leader, Expert, or Influencer you would like to know more about?
