What makes a great customer experience leader?

1 Vision and strategy

A great customer experience leader has a clear vision of what kind of CX they want to create and how to align it with the business goals and values. They also have a strategy to communicate and execute that vision across the organization, involving all stakeholders and departments. They are able to articulate the value and benefits of CX to the leadership, the employees, and the customers, and to measure and report on the outcomes and impact of their CX initiatives.

2 Empathy and curiosity

A great customer experience leader has a deep empathy and curiosity for their customers and their needs, wants, and emotions. They are constantly seeking to understand their customers better, using various methods such as research, feedback, data, and analytics. They are also empathetic and curious about their team and their challenges, providing support, coaching, and feedback to help them grow and succeed. They foster a culture of empathy and curiosity in the organization, encouraging everyone to listen, learn, and improve.

3 Creativity and innovation

A great customer experience leader has a creativity and innovation mindset, always looking for new and better ways to solve problems, create value, and delight customers. They are not afraid to experiment, test, and iterate on their ideas, using customer feedback and data as guides. They are also open to learning from others, both inside and outside the organization, and to adopting best practices and new trends in CX. They inspire and enable their team to be creative and innovative as well, giving them the tools, resources, and autonomy to do so.

4 Collaboration and influence

A great customer experience leader has a collaboration and influence skill, knowing how to work with and persuade others to achieve common goals. They are able to build and maintain strong relationships with various stakeholders, such as the leadership, the employees, the customers, and the partners, and to communicate effectively and respectfully with them. They are also able to leverage their network and influence to advocate for CX and to overcome obstacles and resistance. They promote and facilitate collaboration and influence in the organization, creating cross-functional teams, platforms, and processes to enable CX.

5 Adaptability and resilience

A great customer experience leader has an adaptability and resilience trait, being able to cope with change, uncertainty, and stress. They are flexible and agile, adjusting their plans and actions according to the changing customer needs, market conditions, and business priorities. They are also resilient and optimistic, overcoming challenges and failures with grace and learning from them. They instill and model adaptability and resilience in the organization, preparing and supporting everyone to embrace change and to bounce back from difficulties.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?