Change is constant, and disruption rarely gives a heads-up. When everything is shifting (markets, customers, teams) how do leaders keep people focused, adapt quickly, and still deliver results?
Headliner Sean Albertson gave a dynamic opening presentation on leading through change at the 22nd Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan MindXchange in Tucson, Arizona recently. Sean drew from his CX leadership experiences and high-pressure transformation work to share the LEAD from Your CORE approach, a practical framework for executives who must stay grounded while guiding their teams through chaos. CORE stands for leading with Clarity, Ownership, Resilience and Empathy.
Read on for more keen insights and takeaways from his session, including tangible tactics and big-picture strategies.
Obstacles As Opportunities
“Rocks don’t block the river – they change the course.” What if obstacles are opportunities to make changes? To move forward with intent? Sean shared this analogy: When you’re riding the river rapids, classes 1 and 2 are smooth or relatively smooth. Class 3 is slightly bumpy. Classes 4 and 5 are rapids that you need a guide to get through. Class 6 is a waterfall.
Assess Your Business Environment
When Sean asked the event participants what “rapids class” they perceived their business to be in, a few of the tables self-identified as classes 3-4, some as class 5, and a few as class 6 cascading down a waterfall! It’s important to assess your own business environment so you can plan and act accordingly.
The Four Rivers of Experience and Customer Experience
Sean discussed the concept of the Four Rivers of Experience, which highlight key areas that must be harmonized in order to provide an effective customer experience:
- Customer: Focus on building trust by delivering the experience you would want for yourself.
- Career: Align employee growth and purpose with CX goals to foster a motivated workforce.
- Community: Create inclusive, collaborative cultures that prioritize people.
- Core: Link personal values with the organization’s mission to drive authentic engagement.
By ensuring these rivers flow in the same direction, organizations can penetrate the silos that often hinder customer-centric strategies, driving collective success.
Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been?
There have been major shifts in business in the last decades. Businesses and customer service are rapidly transforming in the digital age. Today’s experience economy is data-driven and customer centric. AI is starting to shift things even more quickly.
How To Lead During Massive Change?
What does it mean to lead today? It means to “go first,” to “provide structure or guidance” or to set the example. Leadership is shifting with the times and executives must:
- Learn – If you’re going to lead, you must be a learner at your core. What you’ve always done doesn’t necessarily work anymore. Learning fast is your edge.
- Empower – Push decisions closer to the customer. Make sure your teams are the ones with expertise. Be accountable. Enable teams to act autonomously.
- Adapt – Embed agility into culture. Talk about it in the culture of your company. It should be at the heart of what reps are asked to do. Pivot quickly.
- Deliver – Focus on value, not just activity. Teams have to understand what value means. Move fast without losing trust. Prioritize progress over perfection.
Final Insights
- Model accountability – I pivoted quickly… it didn’t work but it’s okay… I kept moving.
- Stay steady under pressure. Renewal creates space for recovery.
- Empathy is our superpower as humans. Lead with understanding. Provide room for others’ experiences.
- Embrace change together. What skills are you good at? What needs to be improved?
- Use the rocks as steppingstones! Better customer experiences can come from it!
- Disruption favors the aligned.
