You can have the best recovery plan in the world, but if no one reads it, it doesn't matter. In this episode, Mark breaks down the harsh truth about most get-well plans: they're too long, too detailed, and too focused on documenting problems instead of driving solutions.

Drawing from a painful early-career mistake - a 37-page recovery plan that accomplished nothing - Mark walks you through exactly how to write a get-well plan that stakeholders will actually read, understand, and act on. No 50-page novels. No endless retrospectives. Just clear, actionable roadmaps that respect people's time and get results.

Mark shares the seven essential elements of an effective get-well plan:

1. THE ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY - Your elevator pitch that goes at the very top. Make it bold. Make it clear. If someone only reads the first paragraph, they should know exactly what this plan is about.
2. CURRENT STATE (3 bullets or less) - Provide context without writing a memoir. Three bullet points maximum. You're not reliving every mistake. You're setting the stage for action.
3. THE OUTCOME (Your Guiding Star) - Define the measurable end state you're driving toward. Make it specific. Make it time-bound. Make it a statement, not a wish.
4. THE PHASES - Break the work into 2-3 clear phases. Typically: Stabilization (stop the bleeding), Remediation (fix core issues), and Reinforcement (sustain improvement). Each phase gets a name, timeframe, and clear goal.
5. THE ACTIONS - This is where most plans fall apart. Every action needs four things: WHAT will be done, WHO owns it, WHEN it's due, and HOW you'll know it's complete. No vague action items. No missing owners. No ambiguous success criteria.
6. THE ASK - State clearly what you need from stakeholders. Be specific and actionable. You need support to execute this plan, so ask for it upfront.
7. THE FOLLOW-UP CADENCE - Define how you'll keep everyone informed. Plans die in silence. If you're not updating it, no one's going to believe you're executing it.

Throughout the episode, Mark shares real stories from his work with enterprise accounts at companies like Cofense and Palo Alto Networks. You'll hear about the two-page plan that saved a stalled retail customer deployment, the financial services account that went from red to reference in 90 days, and the critical lessons learned from plans that failed because they tried to do too much.

The key principle: constraint creates clarity. When you force yourself to keep it under three pages, you force yourself to be strategic. You can't document everything, so you have to prioritize what actually matters.

Mark also covers what NOT to include: no root cause analysis (save that for the post-mortem), no detailed project plans with Gantt charts (that's for internal management), and no "what if" scenario mapping (focus on the most likely path forward, then adjust as you go).

This episode is part of the Path to Green mini-series, which explores Mark's signature framework for rescuing at-risk accounts. Whether you're facing a red account, a stalled deployment, lost trust with an executive sponsor, or a relationship that needs rebuilding, this episode gives you a practical template for writing recovery plans that move the needle.

Perfect for: CSMs managing red accounts, team leads mentoring junior CSMs, customer success managers who've inherited messy situations, or anyone who's ever written a plan that got ignored.

Companion resource: Download the free Get-Well Plan Framework template at ClearPathCX.com. It includes a one-page summary template, phase-by-phase action tracker, and stakeholder communication guide, all designed to help you write a plan in under two hours that you can send with confidence.

Next episode: We'll tackle what happens before you ever send that plan - how to get internal alignment from Sales, Support, and Product before taking your recovery plan external.