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Podcast
November 14, 2025
Episode 67: Why RevOps Roadmaps Fail - Breaking the Ticket Taker Mindset
Why RevOps roadmaps fail, how to escape the ticket-taker trap, and why aligning with your CFO is key to staying strategic in chaos.
In this episode of the RevOpsAF Podcast, co-host Camela Thompson, Head of Marketing at RevOps Co-op, sits down with Jacki Leahy, Founder of Activate the Magic, a fractional RevOps agency that helps fast-growing GTM teams achieve what she calls “GTM Certainty.” Jacki’s career spans BDR leadership, sales enablement, and RevOps consulting — and she’s built a reputation as one of the most brutally honest, hilariously self-aware voices in the profession.
Together, she and Camela dig into the harsh reality most operators face: we’re drowning in requests, stuck firefighting instead of strategizing, and constantly recalibrating plans that seem to explode the minute the fiscal year begins. This episode explores why RevOps roadmaps fall apart, how to stop being a “ticket taker,” how to get real executive buy-in (hint: it starts with the CFO), and what it means to protect your energy in an environment that’s always on fire.
Every operator dreams of a world where the quarterly plan stays intact for more than three weeks — but in reality, chaos is the default. Jacki explains why.
For growth-stage companies under 200 employees, the absence of a roadmap isn’t necessarily negligence — it’s often a strategy. These organizations pivot constantly, and the only way to survive is by staying flexible and focusing on outcomes, not order.
“Not having a roadmap can actually be a strategy. The key is staying aligned on the goal — the revenue benchmark — and adjusting how you get there as reality changes.” – Jacki Leahy
She argues that instead of rigidly adhering to annual plans, operators should adopt a constraint-based approach — identifying the single biggest bottleneck in the revenue engine and attacking that with precision.
Sometimes it’s a broken sales process; other times, it’s churn. “You can’t fix everything,” she says. “If customers aren’t renewing, no sales process can help you. Go after the key constraint — the thing that’s actually limiting growth.”
Camela agrees, pointing out that even in larger enterprises, where planning is more formalized, the same chaos exists in a different flavor: reorgs, shifting leadership, changing priorities. “It’s not just startups,” she notes. “It’s just that bigger companies have more meetings about it.”
If you’re looking for a roadmap to better sales planning, checkout RevOpsAF Podcast Episode 18: A roadmap for better sales planning.
RevOps professionals are wired to help — and that’s exactly what gets us trapped.
Jacki calls it the “ticket-taker trap.” Operators get pulled into reactive cycles, executing ad hoc requests from every executive who yells the loudest. “My aha moment,” she admits, “was realizing that stability, appreciation, and job security had nothing to do with how good I was at my job. It was all PR.”
“Your sense of security at work isn’t tied to your competence — it’s tied to sentiment. You have to manage perception, not just performance.” – Jacki Leahy
In other words, being technically excellent isn’t enough. You have to market your impact inside the company — proactively showing how your work drives revenue, reduces cost, or mitigates risk.
Camela adds that many operators assume their bosses know what they’re doing day-to-day. “They don’t,” she laughs. “They have no idea. I once had a boss ask why I couldn’t take on more projects — while I was spending five hours a day in meetings.”
The solution? Treat your roadmap like a communication tool. Document your work, visualize tradeoffs, and make prioritization decisions visible. “When new requests come in,” Camela says, “you can just point to the roadmap and ask: Which project do you want me to stop?”
Wanna hear from a VP of RevOps on how to avoid getting bogged down in ticket-taking? Then check out RevOpsAF Podcast Episode 19: How to be a Strategic Revenue Operator.
When it comes to influence, Jacki’s advice is non-negotiable: make the CFO your strongest ally.
“If you’re serving at the pleasure of the CRO — and they can’t keep their job longer than 18 months — you’re not safe either. But if the CFO’s on your side? You’ve got the tiger by the tail.” – Jacki Leahy
The CRO might set revenue targets, but the CFO controls credibility. “The CFO is the whisperer to the CEO,” she adds. “If you can speak their language — cost efficiency, ROI, time-to-value — you’ll never be seen as a glorified admin again.”
That partnership starts with math. Bring quantitative evidence to every debate. If sales leadership is focused on changing pipeline stages while conversion rates are tanking, don’t just suggest a shift — prove it.
“Punch them in the nose with the math. Show exactly how a 5% lift in conversion rate adds X million to pipeline. Speak in outcomes, not opinions.” – Jacki Leahy
For more on building a bridge between RevOps and Finance, check out RevOpsAF Podcast Episode 44: Bridging the Gap Between RevOps and Finance.
RevOps is often asked to fix everything, everywhere, all at once. Jacki insists that the discipline of prioritization isn’t just good operations — it’s political armor.
“The word ‘priorities’ shouldn’t even exist,” she says. “Priority means ‘the thing valued above all else.’ You can’t have ten of those.”
This is where RevOps earns its credibility. When you can identify the one initiative that unlocks the most revenue leverage, defend it with data, and align executives around it — you move from reactive executor to strategic gatekeeper.
“You can’t fight every fire. Find the most expensive, most painful dumpster fire and fix that one first.” – Jacki Leahy
Camela adds that effective prioritization isn’t about consensus — it’s about clarity. “You’ll never get full agreement, but you can get alignment,” she says. “And alignment is enough to keep momentum.”
For more on how to prioritize in RevOps, check out RevOpsAF Podcast Episode 36: The Keys to Prioritization in RevOps.
For operators frustrated by lack of authority, Jacki has blunt advice: you already have it — you just need to use it.
“You are Neo. You see the system for what it is. Everyone else is living in the Matrix. You’ve been knighted to protect the revenue engine — act like it.” – Jacki Leahy
Influence comes from owning your expertise and communicating like a consultant. Stop waiting for permission to diagnose the system. Do the math, propose the fix, and sell it to leadership like you would a client project.
The goal isn’t to win every argument — it’s to earn the right to be in the room when decisions are made.
Camela points out that too many RevOps professionals underestimate this soft skill. “In a survey we ran,” she says, “operators ranked ‘influencing without authority’ as least important — right after Excel macros. That broke my heart. This is the skill that separates analysts from leaders.”
For more on this topic, check out RevOps Co-op Blog: Influencing Without Authority.
Jacki admits that she’s had to learn to be more direct. “RevOps people are helpers by nature,” she says. “We want everyone to feel heard. But sometimes you have to stop being diplomatic and start being effective.”
Her framework:
Camela laughs: “It’s RevOps as tough love. You can be kind and firm. You just have to back it up.”
For more on balancing tension in RevOps, check out RevOpsAF Podcast Episode 17: Why tension in GTM isn’t a bad thing.
Jacki and Camela both agree: burnout is RevOps’ silent epidemic. Between endless requests, leadership churn, and constant context switching, it’s easy to lose yourself in the noise.
Jacki’s prescription is practical: carve out sacred focus blocks. “Start with an hour and a half a day,” she says. “Even if you have to move it, never delete it.” Use that time for the projects that actually move the needle — not the inbox.
“If you’re 100% people-pleaser, start with just one protected block. That’s your space to solve the company’s real constraint. That’s how you get noticed.” – Jacki Leahy
And if you’re in a toxic environment where change isn’t possible? Recognize the chapter you’re in. “Sometimes your job is just to get a win on the board and move on. I stayed in a toxic role for two years — but it gave me the experience I needed to do what I do now. Just know the chapter you’re in.”
For more on battling burnout, check out RevOps Co-op Blog: Fighting Burnout in RevOps? A Pro’s Quest for Work-Life Balance.
Jacki ends on a note of empowerment — one part pep talk, one part manifesto.
“You are the one who sees the revenue engine for what it is. That’s your superpower. Nobody else sees it like you do. You’re weird, and that’s wonderful. You are the magic.” – Jacki Leahy
She reminds listeners that curiosity — not compliance — is what makes RevOps indispensable. “Chaos is the glitter of growth,” she says. “If everything’s on fire, it means you’re growing. You just have to decide which fire is worth putting out.”
Jacki leaves listeners with a final rally cry:
“2026 is the year RevOps gets it done.”
For more on how curiosity plays into your RevOps career, check out RevOps Co-op Blog: The 5 RevOps Career Tracks: Finding Your Perfect Role.
This episode isn’t just a conversation — it’s a therapy session for every overworked operator who’s ever wondered if they’re doing it wrong.
Jacki and Camela dismantle the myth that strategy requires stability. In truth, the best RevOps leaders thrive in flux — because they know how to find the constraint, prove it with data, and rally the company around fixing it.
RevOps isn’t about saying yes to every request. It’s about protecting the system, steering the revenue engine, and making sure the chaos serves growth — not the other way around.
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