Rethinking Safety Nets: The Growth Power of 30-Day Accountability
High-performing organizations aren’t defined by long-term contracts—they’re shaped by short-term accountability that reinforces daily value delivery. CEOs who embrace structured pressure build resilient teams, encourage honest feedback, and foster partnerships rooted in trust, not terms.
By Michel Koopman
Key Takeaways
Short-term accountability models like 30-day contracts drive consistent performance and stronger client partnerships
Feedback flows more freely when pressure removes complacency, enhancing results and trust
Daily value delivery builds long-term success by aligning urgency with purpose
Early in my journey building CxO Coaching, we landed a pilot with one of the largest quick-service restaurant brands in the world. It was a big win—until we learned we weren’t the only firm in the running. They’d also engaged a much larger competitor, planning to compare results and choose their long-term partner based on performance. There was no ramp-up time. No room for error. We had to deliver fast or lose the business.
Instead of lobbying for more time or negotiating scope, we leaned in. We listened hard to their leadership, doubled down on our competitive differences, and built a coaching roadmap aimed at their most urgent priorities. That focus paid off. Not only did we outperform our larger competitor, but we also built a lasting relationship that continues to this day, one we are thankful for.
That experience reinforced how I view pressure. It’s not something to avoid. It’s something to harness. Pressure, when applied with intention, sharpens focus, accelerates growth, and builds trust faster than any long-term guarantee ever could.
Why We Ditched the Safety Net
While running a SaaS company as CEO, I believed that long-term contracts (often up to 3 years) created stability. Then I realized they could also create complacency, plus when dealing with F100 companies, if they want to cancel, they will, and they can—given their legal power. So we changed our business model to a 30-day cancellation term. That shift didn’t just raise the bar for our team; it clarified our value to clients. Every day mattered. Every conversation carried weight. There was no hiding behind legal clauses or legacy relationships. And, it can speed up sales cycles as well as make the consideration to move forward an easier one for clients.
This approach doesn’t only apply to client contracts for service firms. I encourage CEOs to consider: What implicit “contracts” are your teams leaning on? Job descriptions, titles, standard scopes of work—these are often safety nets that dilute urgency. What if you asked your team to operate each week as if everything had to be re-earned?
It’s not about fear—it’s about discipline. Pressure, when tied to purpose, inspires clarity, not chaos.
Daily Value Builds Long-Term Results
One of the biggest risks in long-term engagements is confusing activity with progress. When teams know there’s a long runway, deliverables often expand, priorities blur, and energy dissipates. But urgency resets that dynamic.
Behavioral science backs this up. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that shorter deadlines improve task engagement and reduce procrastination. In our own work, we’ve seen that when people know every week counts, they shift from checking boxes to solving real problems. They self-monitor, hold themselves accountable, and focus on the impact they’re having, not just the hours they’re logging.
I started setting weekly “value checkpoints”—not just for my team, but for myself. What did I tangibly deliver this week? How did that move us forward? Did I earn my role, title, salary, and my clients’ investments during this period? That rhythm has helped us stay lean, focused, and agile.
Pressure Makes You Listen Better
Back in that high-stakes pilot, our strategy wasn’t what set us apart. It was our listening. We asked questions, absorbed insights, and adjusted fast. We didn’t wait for postmortems—we made changes in real time. That responsiveness built credibility fast.
Under pressure, there’s no room for guesswork or assumptions. You listen more closely. You clarify more quickly. And in doing so, you earn more trust.
Whether you’re leading a new team, pitching a major client, or navigating a crisis, pressure is a prompt to engage more deeply. The clarity that comes from urgent listening is one of the most undervalued leadership tools we have.
Feedback Is a Sign of Strategic Trust
One of the most surprising benefits of removing our safety net was how much more feedback we started receiving. Clients were more candid. They didn’t feel bound to us by a contract—they felt invested in the outcome.
Research in Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience shows that moderate stress activates the prefrontal cortex, improving decision-making and focus—especially when feedback is involved. When feedback becomes part of your performance rhythm, not just your review process, everyone gets better faster.
Shawn Cole, president and co-partner at Cowen Partners, put it well: “Short-term cycles shift the focus to results and accountability. The emphasis on outcomes helps build trust quickly and can form the basis for longer-lasting partnerships.”
Now, we ask for feedback constantly. After meetings, projects, or milestones, formal or informal. And we act on it visibly. That loop of accountability builds far more loyalty than any contract ever could.
Tie Urgency to a Larger Vision
Short-term pressure drives action, but purpose is what makes it sustainable. Without that balance, you risk burnout. With it, you create momentum.
A 2024 study on temporal motivation theory confirmed what many of us intuitively know: as deadlines approach, motivation increases, especially when the task aligns with meaningful goals. So, imagine that the deadline to deliver value to clients happens every month or during each and every touchpoint, even. That’s why I often ask myself: What outcome do I want this week? And how does that align with the kind of leader I’m working to become?
That link between urgency and purpose grounds you, even as it propels you forward.
The CEO’s Role in Creating Productive Pressure
For CEOs, the question isn’t whether to apply pressure—it’s how to do it with intention. The right kind of pressure invites teams to stretch, respond, and refine. It fosters feedback, speeds up innovation, and transforms vendor relationships into true partnerships.
At our firm, the 30-day model isn’t a gimmick. It’s a signal: we believe in delivering value every single day, and we welcome accountability. That pressure helps us outperform larger rivals all the time. It continues to push us to be better partners, better listeners, and better leaders.
And it’s working. When clients feel empowered to leave—but choose to stay—you know the relationship is real. That’s not just a business model. That’s what trust looks like in practice.
Read the original article on CEOWORLD Magazine.