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Unlocking Influence: How CX Leaders Gain a Strategic Seat at the Table
- Ty Givens
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Unlocking Influence: How CX Leaders Gain a Strategic Seat at the Table
In today’s fast-paced business environment, having a title alone isn’t enough to secure influence—especially in the world of customer experience (CX). Influence often carries more weight than authority. The question for many CX professionals becomes: How can I gain that strategic seat at the table without an executive title?
The answer lies in cultivating CX leadership influence by aligning your insights with business outcomes, building trust across teams, and demonstrating daily leadership, regardless of role or rank.
The Art of Influence Without Authority
True influence isn’t tied to hierarchy. It’s built by consistently delivering credible insights, actionable recommendations, and cross-functional solutions.
Example: Imagine a CX manager noticing a spike in customer churn due to onboarding delays. While they don’t oversee onboarding directly, they collect compelling data, connect the dots, and propose solutions that streamline the process. Rather than being seen as a critic, they are viewed as a strategic partner—a hallmark of strong CX leadership influence.
Building Trust Across Teams
Trust is both fragile and invaluable. It’s broken by blame, finger-pointing, or merely calling out problems without offering solutions. To build credibility:
Approach challenges collaboratively, not confrontationally.
Share solutions, not just obstacles.
Celebrate wins that result from teamwork.
Communicating in CX Leadership's Language
Leaders are less interested in ticket counts and more in outcomes that affect the bottom line—customer retention, revenue growth, and operational efficiency. The key to CX leadership influence lies in translating operational metrics into business language.
Instead of saying: “We answered 4,000 tickets this week.” Say: “We cleared a backlog that delayed onboarding, reducing resolution time by 10% and accelerating customer activation.”
This shift in framing positions your team’s work as a strategic driver of results.
Using the Problem-Action-Result Framework
To effectively highlight your team’s contributions, use the Problem-Action-Result (PAR) framework.
Problem: Identify the challenge or obstacle.
Action: Outline what was done to address it.
Result: Share the measurable impact on customers or the business.
Reveal Bot, for example, transformed its support team into a strategic insights hub by using this approach to spotlight how their findings improved product performance and cross-functional alignment.
Shifting from Doer to Strategic Thinker
The leap from “doing” to “leading” begins with mindset. A CX leader doesn’t just state, “CSAT dropped three points.” Instead, they analyze the root cause—say, an increase in wait times during peak hours—and present a data-driven solution like staffing adjustments or proactive self-service resources.
Advocating for Your Team’s Success
Advocacy is not boasting; it’s storytelling with a purpose. Use the Advocacy Formula:
What was the challenge?
What actions did the team take?
What was the measurable outcome?
What support is needed from leadership?
By connecting your team’s efforts to tangible business results, you elevate both your influence and your team’s visibility.
Conclusion: Demonstrate Leadership Daily
Titles don’t create leaders—actions do. Every CX professional can develop CX leadership influence by refining how they communicate, collaborating across teams, and aligning insights with business priorities.
Take the challenge: This week, choose one communication habit to improve—whether it’s reframing metrics as outcomes, using the PAR framework, or presenting solutions alongside problems.
Influence is within your grasp. It’s time to claim your strategic seat at the table.
Ready to Earn Your Strategic Seat at the Table?
Let’s talk about your CX operation today—and what it could look like with the right structure, systems, and support.
About CX Collective
Founded by Ty Givens, CX Collective helps high-growth companies scale customer experience that drives loyalty, reduces chaos, and fuels long-term growth. We don’t just talk about CX—we build it.
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