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Picture this: You are a firefighter and your city is aflame. The flames have become an ominous beast, consuming everything in their path, fuelled by $650+ million worth of kindling - your precious contracts. You don't have the privilege of contemplation, of strategic planning; you must act, and act fast. I've been that firefighter. I've fought the fires in the global arenas of service and delivery excellence. But I wasn't just a firefighter. I was the surgeon who dissected the ailing accounts, identifying the cancers that ate at their vitality.

With executive sponsors as my advocates, I was called upon to bear witness to those accounts spiralling towards oblivion. Those Critical Situations - Crit Sits - teetering on the precipice of catastrophe, often demanding surgical intervention more than a band-aid. So, I rolled up my sleeves, laid bare the underlying malaise, and either cauterized the wound or stepped aside.

And oh, what growth I experienced! My mettle was tested, my resilience fortified as I salvaged accounts teetering on the brink of failure. Some of these behemoths had a Total Contract Value in the billions. Yet, such victories came at a cost - the inevitable disdain of account leaders, who viewed my actions as the unmasking of their frail governance structures and flawed management systems. The consequence? Becoming the proverbial bullseye when my protective executive sponsors moved on or retired.

The unfortunate reality is that people dread exposure, much like cockroaches when a kitchen light flicks on. The struggle intensifies when an external entity shines a merciless spotlight, unveiling inadequacies they'd rather keep under wraps. This was my cross to bear during my victorious stint at IBM, and it continues to rear its head now, as I endeavour to leverage my unique skills in my own enterprise.

The heart of the issue lies in the disengagement of executives from the daily grind. Blissfully ensconced in their ivory towers, they take at face value the rose-tinted metrics presented on their dashboards, seemingly oblivious to the discordant Voice of the Customer. Let's face it: no one in the management chain is going to welcome a scrutinizing gaze that risks blowing their cover.

However, the proverbial fecal matter is destined to hit the fan if this cognitive dissonance persists. My aim, my clarion call, is to shake the executives out of their complacency, to get them to realize that it's far better to be proactive than reactive. In this challenging landscape, we all need a fresh perspective, a second pair of eyes, to truly see what lies beneath. So, to all the scared managers and the uninterested executives out there, hear me: Embrace this change before the fire becomes an uncontrollable inferno.

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