A keynote speaker at Customer Response Summit (CRS) in Clearwater Beach, Florida, Edmond took the stage to discuss change, not just in shifting consumer behaviors or advancing technologies, but the kind that redefines an entire industry.

A Childhood Rooted in Change

“I want to start by telling you a little bit more about myself,” she began.

Edmond’s journey in hospitality started beside her grandmother, making hotel beds. The repetition, the attention to detail, the care taken with every tucked-in corner—these weren’t just tasks; they were lessons in pride, service, and resilience.

Change wasn’t just a professional necessity for Edmond; it has always been a way of life. She’s lived in 10 different cities in 30 years, moving between Hilton and Marriott, adapting, evolving, and learning along the way. It was never just about climbing the corporate ladder; it was about deeply understanding the guest experience, leading with empathy, and building something bigger than herself.

As she stood on that stage, she didn’t just speak about transformation. She embodied it.

A Career Built on Evolving

Edmond’s career began at the Boston Quincy Marriott Hotel, where she first learned the nuances of on-property operations. From there, she rose through the ranks, taking on corporate roles that gave her a panoramic view of hospitality, from the frontlines to the executive suite.

One of her defining moments? Leading the historic merger of SPG^® and Marriott Rewards^® into Marriott Bonvoy^®, a transformation that impacted 6,900 hotels and millions of loyalty members worldwide. This wasn’t just a branding exercise. It was a massive operational and emotional shift for travelers who had built their routines, rewards, and brand trust around these programs.

The challenge was enormous, but Edmond saw it as an opportunity to reimagine what loyalty could mean. The results spoke for themselves: a 7% increase in Elite Appreciation among top-tier guests, proving that intentional change, when done right, fosters deeper guest loyalty.

Then came the introduction of a $235M Property Management System, a transformation designed to streamline operations without sacrificing personalization. Because, as she emphasized, innovation in hospitality isn’t about replacing the human touch. It’s about enhancing it.

Leading Transformation at Marriott International

Many companies wait until an economic downturn forces their hand. Marriott doesn’t believe in waiting. Under Edmond’s leadership, Marriott’s CEC has undergone a strategic realignment, ensuring the company isn’t just reacting to change but anticipating it.

Hospitality is evolving at breakneck speed. The industry is larger, more complex, and more technology-driven than ever before. But Edmond’s philosophy is clear: The best time to reimagine the future isn’t when you’re forced to; it’s when you have the strength and stability to do so on your own terms.

The Power of Human Connection

At its core, travel is deeply personal. A weary business traveler stepping off a red-eye flight, a honeymooning couple arriving at a beachside resort, a solo adventurer checking into a boutique hotel—each guest carries a story. The question is: how does your brand become a meaningful part of it?

For Edmond, the answer lies in the power of human connection, a principle woven into Marriott’s DNA. Technology is a tool, but it’s not the solution.

It’s the warmth of a front desk associate who notices a guest’s exhaustion and offers a complimentary late checkout. It’s the housekeeping team that arranges a child’s stuffed animal just so, making a hotel room feel like home. “Being human is the ultimate competitive advantage,” she said.

This resonated deeply. In an industry often focused on efficiency, cost-cutting, and automation, Edmond reminded us that true hospitality isn’t transactional; it’s emotional.

Lessons in Leadership & Change

Edmond has learned that change isn’t something to fear; it’s something to embrace. She has led through economic downturns, the rise of digital-first travelers, and an industry-wide shift toward sustainability. “Never find yourself standing still; if you stand still, you die. Keep moving,” she explained.

She also reminded attendees of something simple yet powerful: never underestimate the power of asking for help because sometimes, that one ask can change the trajectory of your career.

It’s easy to get lost in the mechanics of hospitality, like room rates, occupancy numbers, and service recovery metrics, but Edmond brought the conversation back to what truly matters: people. As leaders in the customer experience space, our challenge is clear: We must be architects of change and relentless in our pursuit of human-centered innovation.

Because in hospitality, the best experiences aren’t just designed. They’re felt. And that’s exactly what Edmond left us with: a feeling that the future of hospitality isn’t just about where guests sleep, dine, or relax. It’s about how we make them feel.

A special thank you to Frid Edmond and the entire Marriott International team for sharing their insights and leadership with us at Customer Response Summit. Your dedication to innovation, service, and human connection continues to set the standard for the hospitality and CX industry. We appreciate your time, expertise, and the inspiration you brought to the stage!

Ready to continue the conversation? Join us at the next CRS, September 30-October 2, 2026. Connect with fellow CX leaders, hear from trailblazing brands, and explore the strategies shaping the future of customer experience. Learn more and reserve your spot.

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Todd brings over three decades of operational leadership experience to his keynote, along with a willingness to draw on his own personal journey. His session, Mental Athlete: Leadership in a Dysregulated World, explores the connection between a leader’s mental health and their effectiveness on the job, and offers a framework for thinking about self-regulation as a professional practice.

His central premise is that self-regulation (how a leader manages their own mental and emotional state) is a meaningful and often overlooked dimension of professional performance. He draws on the analogy of an elite athlete, for whom mental conditioning is as deliberate and structured as physical training, and asks what it might look like for leaders to bring that same intentionality to their own well-being.

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Since 2021, Execs In The Know’s Leading with Impact program has focused on raising awareness surrounding mental health. Our aim is to continue working to break past the stigma often associated with mental health issues and address these issues head-on. Our actions, no matter how big or small, can provide hope to those who are struggling. We’re working alongside organizations to help companies and individuals move down a stigma-free path, where those affected by mental health challenges can seek support without fear of judgment.

That context becomes especially visible in the day-to-day reality of work, where experience is shaped not only by what is measured, but also by what is felt beneath those measures.

Behind the Metrics

In the rhythm of a typical workday, especially in customer-focused environments, much of the attention is directed outward toward performance metrics, service levels, and the consistency of the experience being delivered. Dashboards update in real time, targets are tracked, measured, and optimized, and every interaction is an opportunity to reinforce trust, solve a problem, or strengthen a relationship.

Behind those measures, however, are individuals navigating competing priorities, constant interaction, and the expectation to remain responsive, steady, and engaged. The pace can be dynamic, at times unpredictable, and often shaped by variables outside anyone’s control. And within that pace, there is an ongoing balance between output and capacity, between responsiveness and recovery.

Mental health, in this context, is rarely a single moment or a clearly defined event. It is cumulative. It reflects how work is structured, how communication flows, and how individuals move through their day. It is influenced by the volume of interactions, the complexity of customer needs, and the degree of autonomy individuals have in managing both.

It also shows up in ways that are not always immediately visible. In the tone of a conversation, the patience within a customer interaction, and in the ability to remain present through complexity, to listen fully, and to respond with clarity. Over time, these small moments shape the overall experience for both employees and the customers they serve.

A Different Kind of Visibility for Leaders

For leaders, this creates a different kind of visibility. Not one rooted solely in outputs, but in patterns. How teams are pacing themselves across a week or a quarter. How often can they reset between periods of intensity? How consistently they are supported in maintaining both performance and well-being over time.

These patterns are not always captured in traditional reporting, yet they influence many of the outcomes organizations care most about: engagement, retention, service quality, and consistency. They also indicate how sustainable those outcomes are over longer periods.

Where Employee and Customer Experience Meet

Across many organizations, there is a growing awareness of these dynamics. Conversations around flexibility, workload, and support systems have become more integrated into how teams operate. In some cases, this includes more deliberate approaches to scheduling and staffing. In others, it shows up in how leaders communicate expectations, set priorities, and create space for focus.

Rather than existing in isolation, employee experience and customer experience are increasingly understood as interconnected parts of the same ecosystem. The conditions in which employees work (how supported they feel, how clearly they understand expectations, or how manageable their workload is) can influence how consistently they deliver for customers. The relationship is not always explicit, but it is observable.

How It Shows Up in the Work

When employees have the space to focus, recover, and feel supported in their roles, it often carries over into how they engage with each other and with customers. Interactions may feel more measured. Problem-solving can become more collaborative. Consistency, which is central to many customer experience strategies, becomes easier to sustain.

At the same time, the absence of that support can also surface in subtle ways. A slight delay in response, shorter interaction, or a missed opportunity to fully resolve a concern. These are not necessarily indicators of intent or capability, but reflections of the broader environment in which work is taking place.

Moments like May offer an opportunity to notice these connections more clearly. Not as a departure from day-to-day operations, but as a lens through which to view them. A way to reflect on how systems, expectations, and support structures are aligning with the realities of the people within them. It is a chance to observe what is working well and where there may be opportunities to adjust.

Small Shifts, Meaningful Impact

In practice, this reflection can take many forms. For some organizations, it may involve revisiting how workloads are distributed across teams or how demand peaks are managed. For others, it may include examining how communication flows, whether priorities are clear, whether feedback is timely, and whether individuals have the information they need to do their work effectively.

It may also include a closer look at how time is experienced throughout the day. The spacing between meetings, the ability to focus without interruption, or the presence of natural pauses allows individuals to reset before moving into the next task or interaction. These elements, while operational, contribute to the overall work experience. Over time, they shape how sustainable the experience feels and how consistently individuals can bring their full attention to their work.

For customer-facing teams, this is particularly relevant. The nature of the work often requires continuous engagement: listening, responding, solving, and adapting in real time. It is work that draws not only on technical knowledge, but also on emotional awareness and communication skills.

Sustaining that level of engagement over time is influenced by more than training or process. It is shaped by the environment in which the work takes place: the clarity of expectations, the availability of support, and the extent to which individuals can recharge between interactions.

An Ongoing Perspective

As organizations continue to evolve their approaches to both employee and customer experience, there is an increasing opportunity to consider these elements together. To view them not as separate initiatives, but as interconnected aspects of how value is created and sustained.

This perspective does not require a single model or a defined endpoint. Instead, it is an ongoing process of observation and adjustment. A willingness to look at how work is experienced in practice and how that experience aligns with the outcomes organizations are aiming to achieve. Within that process, awareness plays a central role.

So as May unfolds, the opportunity is not limited to acknowledgment. It is an opportunity to notice and observe how teams are operating, how individuals are engaging, and how the conditions of work are supporting, or at times challenging, the ability to sustain performance over time. It is also an opportunity to remain curious and to explore where small adjustments might create meaningful shifts. To consider how clarity, capacity, and support are experienced across different roles and teams.

Not as a one-time focus, but as part of an ongoing approach to building environments where both people and performance can be sustained. Because at the center of every interaction, every metric, and every outcome are individuals, bringing their attention, their energy, and their perspective to the work in front of them.

And in that sense, Mental Health Awareness Month serves less as a standalone initiative and more as a moment of clarity, a reminder of the conditions that support sustained performance, thoughtful engagement, and the kind of customer experiences that feel both effective and human over time.

Take Action

Since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a driving force in addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions, and this year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is calling on everyone to take action, raise their voice, and help change the conversation around mental health.

Whether you share your personal journey, raise awareness on social media using #MyMentalHealth, or simply show up for someone in need, every action helps break stigma and build a more supportive world. If you or someone you know is struggling, the NAMI HelpLine offers free, nationwide peer support — available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET — by calling 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), texting “HelpLine” to 62640, or visiting nami.org.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is absorbing routine interactions at an unprecedented scale. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments are being publicly tested. Frontline agents are navigating more complexity than ever before. And as customer expectations continue to rise, organizations are being forced to reckon with a more fundamental question, not just how to serve customers faster, but how to serve them better, more inclusively, and with the kind of human judgment and empathy that no technology can replicate at scale.

Our April issue of CX Insight magazine brings together research, practitioner perspectives, and real-world case studies to examine the forces reshaping CX leadership and how organizations can stay ahead of them.

The DEI Performance Gap Is Widening

The business case for inclusive customer experience has never been stronger, or more urgent. Yet a critical gap persists. CX leaders rate their own accessibility and inclusion efforts 18 points higher than consumers do. That disconnect does not resolve itself. It shows up in churn, in negative sentiment, and in the quiet erosion of loyalty over time. This article examines what closing that gap actually requires operationally, structurally, and strategically.

The Frontline is Not a Support Function

Kevin McDorman, Vice President of Customer Care at Southwest Airlines, made the case plainly at CRS Amelia Island: brands will not differentiate by how much they automate. They will differentiate by how well they equip their people for the moments automation cannot handle. The shift from rigid scripts to empowering guardrails is not a cultural preference; it is a strategic imperative. This article explores what that shift looks like in practice and why organizations that get it right will find it difficult to replicate.

Brand Spotlight: How Grubhub Maintains Service Reliability at Global Scale

Behind every seamless food delivery experience is an operational infrastructure most customers never see. In this issue’s Brand Spotlight, Tanisha Parker, Associate Director at Grubhub, pulls back the curtain on how one of the world’s most recognized food delivery platforms manages global BPO partnerships, workforce strategy, and service consistency across a vast and dynamic ecosystem of couriers, merchants, and diners. Her perspective on eliminating operational friction, without compromising customer value, is one of the most practically useful conversations on this issue.

Case Study: How Uber Is Closing the Customer Feedback Gap with AI

Traditional customer satisfaction surveys capture only a fraction of the experience. Uber decided that was not good enough. In this issue’s case study, Anindya Sundar Das, Senior Director and Head of Global Digital Experience at Uber, details how Uber’s Global Digital Experience team deployed an AI engine that infers customer satisfaction across every single support interaction. It was structured around three core metrics: Resolution, Effort, and Sentiment. The result is a real-time quality signal that enables proactive improvement at a global scale and fundamentally changes how Uber understands and responds to the experience it is delivering.

KIA Spotlight: Balancing AI and Human Connection at Carrier Enterprise

In a service environment where HVAC contractors rely on fast, accurate support to keep their businesses running, the balance between technology and human connection is not an abstract leadership question; it is an operational reality. Michael Luyster, Director of Customer Experience at Carrier Enterprise and a KIA Champion, shares how Carrier Enterprise has built a hybrid service model grounded in customer choice, operational consistency, and trust. His conviction that AI should augment human capability rather than replace it offers a model worth studying across industries.

The Growing Impact of Women in CX Leadership

CX is one of the most cross-functional, human-centered disciplines in business, and women are leading it with measurable impact. The feature on women in CX leadership examines why the pipeline still narrows too early, what structural barriers remain, and why advancing women into senior leadership roles is one of the most strategically sound decisions a CX organization can make. Contributing their perspectives to this important conversation are Lisa Oswald of Travelzoo, Maureen Barnett of Fanatics, Jessica Patel of Belk, and Dima Cichi of Microsoft: four leaders who are actively shaping what modern CX leadership looks like and what it can become.

When AI Improves Metrics but Not Outcomes

Organizations across industries are deploying AI to reduce costs and increase efficiency. By conventional measures, it appears to be working. Automation rates are rising, and handling times are falling. Containment continues to improve, yet retention remains flat. Customer experience remains inconsistent, and business outcomes remain unchanged.

Cortney Jonas Burnos, Vice President of AI & Digital at Transcom, offers a sharp diagnosis: the problem is not the technology. It is the misalignment between how customer experience is measured and where it actually creates value. As AI absorbs the most repeatable interactions, what remains for human agents is more complex, more consequential, and more emotionally demanding — and most organizations have not restructured around that reality.

The Trillion-Dollar Cost That Never Appears on the P&L

According to Qualtrics XM Institute, businesses worldwide risk losing $3.8 trillion annually due to poor customer experiences. More than half of negative interactions lead customers to reduce or stop their spending entirely. Yet this cost rarely surfaces on a standard profit and loss statement. It disappears into churn metrics, missing renewals, and referrals that were never made. This article from Procedureflow provides the framework CX leaders need to translate experience quality into financial risk and bring that conversation into the boardroom where it belongs.

The question this issue keeps returning to is this: what does it actually take to lead well in this moment?

The answer, across every article and every conversation, is the same. It begins with people. The organizations that understand this and build accordingly are the ones that will emerge from this period of disruption with something the competition will find very difficult to replicate: the trust of the people they serve.

Read and download the full April 2026 issue of CX Insight magazine.

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More specifically: Who are you when the title drops, the metrics fade, and the pressure hits? Because, as Travis reminded the room, leading people is complicated. And in a world where every conversation seems to orbit around AI, automation, and scale, the differentiator that will define the next era of customer experience isn’t just technology; it’s emotional intelligence (EQ).

And EQ, he argued, sits on a deeper foundation: identity. Who you are determines what you do. This became the heartbeat of his keynote, “The Standard Is the Strategy.”

Metrics Matter. But They Aren’t the Whole Story.

Travis began with a story from his NFL days, specifically, a moment with legendary linebacker Willie McGinest. After a tough game, Willie posed a question that stuck with him long after he left the field: “Who are you?”

Too often in CX (and in life), Travis said, we obsess about the tangible:

• NPS
• Quarterly numbers
• Service levels
• Efficiency metrics

But in leadership, you can hit the metric and miss the moment. You can meet the standard but violate the principle.

This line landed hard. Because it’s true: in the rush to deliver, leaders can unintentionally drift from the values that made them leaders in the first place.

Standards vs. Principles: The Core Distinction

Travis broke it down simply:

• Standards are what we do.
• Principles are who we are.

Standards matter. They’re measurable, operational, and necessary. But standards alone don’t create culture. Principles do. And in an industry where AI is accelerating faster than any of us expected, Travis reminded leaders of something vital: AI will scale your systems. EQ will sustain your culture. Because CX, at its core, is still about people.

EQ is the skill that helps leaders manage themselves, navigate environments, read the room, and steward their teams through uncertainty. But EQ is built on something deeper: identity. Before you can lead others, you must define who you are going to be.

The Three Principles of Principles

The centerpiece of the keynote came when Travis outlined the three rules that govern how real principles work.

External Conditions Shouldn’t Determine Your Principles

If your principles only hold when conditions are ideal, they’re not principles; they’re preferences.

Travis told stories from NFL training camp, from tough seasons, from moments when every condition felt like a good reason to justify exceptions. But that’s exactly the point: conditions expose principles; they don’t rewrite them.

He challenged leaders to examine whether pressure or convenience has ever swayed their standards, from tone to honesty to accountability.

His reminder hit home: Pressure doesn’t create character. It reveals it.

And this wasn’t just for the boardroom. He drew the line straight into the personal: marriage, parenting, and home life.

Principles Shouldn’t Be Compartmentalized

Leaders don’t get one set of principles for the office and another for home. Character doesn’t clock in and out. Travis spoke about something many leaders quietly wrestle with: the disconnect between the “stage version” of themselves and the “real version” at home. Those gaps erode trust more than any missed KPI ever could.

Authenticity, he said, isn’t about saying whatever you want. It’s about alignment. The version of you in the boardroom, at the dinner table, behind closed doors, and in moments no one sees, should be the same person. And he asked a provocative question: What if authenticity became your most important standard?

Don’t Expect from Others What You Don’t Model Yourself

This one is leadership in its purest form. You cannot expect your team to live at a level you refuse to model. From effort to attitude to integrity, Travis shared: Teams may listen to what you say, but they will replicate what you model.

He reflected on parenting, on coaching, on how often leaders get frustrated with behaviors they actively or passively teach through their example. It was a moment of self-reflection for many in the room. Before you ask, “Why won’t my team rise higher?” Ask: “Have I?”

The Danger of Success in the Wrong Direction

One of the most powerful moments came near the end: a story about scoring what he thought was a touchdown only to realize he ran toward the wrong end zone.
The metaphor was striking. Because in CX, in leadership, and in life, you can hit every target, grow revenue, improve metrics, and still be moving in the wrong direction.

The only success that matters is the kind that aligns with your principles. External success ≠ principled success.

Why This Keynote Mattered

At a conference full of strategy, innovation, AI discussions, and operational breakthroughs, Travis did something different. He grounded the week in something unmistakably human. CX leaders today sit at the intersection of exponential technology and deeply human expectations. We’re balancing automation with empathy, speed with care, efficiency with trust. AI is rewriting the rules, but it’s not rewriting our values.

Travis reminded leaders that before you can build a modern, high-performing, AI-enabled customer experience, you must anchor your identity. Because your principles, not your models, not your workflows, not your dashboards, will determine whether your culture thrives or fractures in the years ahead.

He ended where he began, returning to Willie McGinest’s question: Who are you? And is that the person you really want to be?

Because the future of CX is not just AI-powered; it is principle-powered. And as Travis said, the standard is the strategy.

Join Us at CRS Scottsdale

Experience powerful mainstage keynotes, candid leadership conversations, and practical CX insights from the leaders shaping the industry. Registration opens soon!

More Leadership Insights from the CX Community

Discover additional stories and perspectives from leaders shaping the future of customer experience.

The Discipline of Focus: Lessons from a Former NFL Quarterback

Elevating the Ride at Peloton

Personalization at Sea: How Princess Cruises Is Elevating the Guest Experience

Marriott International’s Frid Edmond on Leading Transformational Change in Hospitality

The post Travis Brown on the Power of Principles in a Changing CX World appeared first on Execs In The Know.

I didn’t.

At 16, most of us were simply trying to figure out where we fit. We weren’t thinking about executive decisions, digital transformation roadmaps, or the responsibility of leading teams through complexity. And we certainly weren’t thinking about the moments where we’d have to choose between the easy answer and the right one.

Yet leadership, at its core, often comes down to exactly that choice.

In customer experience, we talk constantly about innovation, strategy, AI, automation, and growth. But we don’t talk enough about the quality that underpins all of it:

Courage.

Not the dramatic kind of courage, but the steady, values-led kind. The kind that shows up in difficult conversations, in principled decisions, and in the willingness to take accountability when outcomes matter.

And in today’s CX landscape, that kind of leadership is more important than ever.

Courage as a Leadership Advantage

Customer experience is built on trust.

But trust externally, with customers, is always a reflection of trust internally. Teams watch what leaders do. They notice when someone stands by their values, when they invest in long-term outcomes over short-term wins, and when they create space for others to contribute and grow.

The leaders who consistently earn credibility are rarely the loudest voices in the room. They are often the ones who quietly align strategy with integrity, even when it’s uncomfortable.

That alignment builds self-respect. And self-respect builds influence.

The Next Era of CX Requires Broader Leadership Voices

We are entering a transformative moment in customer experience. AI is redefining operating models. Data is driving personalization at scale. Technology is reshaping how we think about talent, productivity, and value creation.

As the industry evolves, so must its leadership.

One of the most exciting shifts we’re seeing is more women confidently stepping into strategic roles across Technology, Finance, Digital, Growth, and Business Development, areas that are increasingly central to CX transformation.

This matters. Not because leadership should look a certain way, but because innovation thrives on perspective. When decision-making tables reflect a broader range of experience and thinking styles, outcomes improve. Strategies become more robust. Risks are evaluated more holistically and customer insight deepens.

And in a world shaped by AI and rapid digital acceleration, ensuring women feel confident and equipped to lead in these areas is both a talent priority and a business imperative.

Why Leading Voices Matters

That’s the thinking behind our Leading Voices series.

We want to spotlight the women shaping CX strategy across their organizations, many of whom started their journey in the contact centers.

Through honest storytelling, practical insight, and visible role models, we aim to create a community that supports long-term development, not just career milestones, but confidence, capability, and clarity.

Check out our latest interview with Lisa Oswald, Head of Customer Service, North America and Europe at Travelzoo. Lisa shares her journey in CX and what drives her as a leader in this space.

Building the Future, Intentionally

Customer experience will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by the people guiding how technology is applied, thoughtfully, ethically, and strategically.

If we want the next generation of CX leaders to step forward with confidence, we must make the journeys of those already doing it more visible.

That is the purpose of Leading Voices:

• To share real career paths
• To highlight strategic impact
• To encourage AI fluency and digital leadership
• To foster mentorship and advocacy
• And to ensure women across our ecosystem feel equipped to lead in the next era of CX

Because courage will always have a cost.

But when we build strong communities, clear pathways, and visible examples, that cost becomes an investment, one that pays dividends for individuals, organizations, and the industry as a whole.

I can’t wait to open the panel for Lisa Oswald, Head of Customer Service at Travelzoo, and Carolyn Truelove, VP Customer & Operations Excellence at American Airlines, as they discuss ‘Uncompromised Leadership — When Self-Respect Becomes Priceless’ – Thursday 26th Feb – 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM. Don’t miss it.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated, expectations have skyrocketed, decision cycles have compressed, and somewhere in the middle of all that progress, a surprising truth has surfaced: leaders are feeling more isolated than ever. Not because they’re disengaged, nor because they’re lacking data or dashboards. But because the nature of leadership itself is changing faster than the support systems around it.

In our January issue of CX Insight magazine, we explore this emerging phenomenon of intelligent isolation and why leaders at the forefront of AI transformation are also the ones feeling the most alone in their decision-making.

The Rise of Intelligent Isolation

Today’s CX executives run global operations, agentic AI pilots, predictive analytics engines, and omnichannel ecosystems, all while supporting frontline teams navigating intense customer emotion and nonstop change. It’s a level of sophistication the industry has never seen.

But beneath that capability is a quieter reality: Many leaders are carrying the emotional and cognitive weight of transformation alone.

Calendars are full, Slack channels are buzzing, and standups are sharp and efficient. But the spaces where leaders once processed ambiguity together (the unstructured conversations, the shared problem-solving, the peer-to-peer sense-making) have eroded.

The result? Leaders are more operationally connected, yet more emotionally isolated. And that disconnect is influencing everything from strategic clarity to team culture.

AI Isn’t the Cause, But It Is the Catalyst

AI didn’t create leadership isolation; it amplified it. The speed of AI-driven change has compressed reflection time, increased expectations for certainty, and accelerated the pressure to “get it right the first time.” Leaders now carry more complexity with fewer moments to pause and sanity-check decisions with peers who understand the weight of the role.

And as our research shows, when systems fail to connect, leaders become the connective tissue doing the integration work that should be shared across the organization. It’s not sustainable. But it is solvable.

Across our community, we’re seeing CX leaders intentionally redesign the way they lead:

• Reinvesting AI-created efficiencies into connection: coaching, listening, and reflection

• Creating fewer, higher-quality spaces for shared judgment and peer advisory support

• Normalizing uncertainty earlier: pressure-testing assumptions before decisions harden

• Building community outside formal reporting lines as a form of strategic infrastructure

These are leadership competencies, and they’re becoming differentiators as AI becomes more deeply embedded in customer operations.

Why This Matters for the Future of CX

The next era of CX won’t be shaped solely by technology. It will be shaped by leaders who recognize that connection is a performance driver, not a personality trait.

This is the shift unfolding across our industry, and the full article in our January issue takes you inside the research, the patterns, and the emerging leadership practices defining 2026.

Read the full article in the January issue of CX Insight magazine.

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Brett Charobee has spent over two decades leading CRM, loyalty, personalization, and MarTech initiatives for consumer-driven brands, including Subway, CVS, Fanatics, and StockX. He has focused on turning fragmented customer data into experiences that feel personal, relevant, and trustworthy at scale.

Most recently, as Vice President of Global Personalization & Guest Affinity at Subway, he led enterprise CRM and loyalty transformation across more than 20 markets, unifying data, channels, and technology into a single operating system for customer engagement, driving measurable gains in acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.

In this Q&A Spotlight, Brett unpacks the moments that shaped his conviction that CRM is not a tech stack, it’s an experience strategy. From uncovering hidden customer intent in purchase behavior to closing the long-standing gap between marketing and customer service data, he explains how empathy scales only when information flows freely across the organization. His experience reveals what happens when CRM becomes connective tissue rather than a channel, where emotional context informs decisions, loyalty becomes predictable, and customer experience is designed with intention instead of assumption.

Execs In The Know (EITK): Every CX leader has a moment where customer behavior, data, or an interaction exposes something bigger. What was that early moment for you that shifted how you viewed the customer relationship? 

Brett Charobee: Early in my career, I was trained in databases, structured query language (SQL), and systems design, but I didn’t yet understand how technology translated to human experience. That changed when I joined ProFlowers. I was a customer myself, so I finally understood how data could improve something deeply personal like buying flowers for an anniversary, a birthday, or a holiday.

That’s when it clicked: customer data wasn’t just operational, it was emotional. Occasions, urgency, and intent mattered as much as transaction history. From that point forward, I stopped thinking in terms of campaigns and started thinking in terms of people.

CRM wasn’t about managing customers. It was about understanding them and using that understanding to drive better business decisions.

EITK: Looking back, what was the first role or project that made you realize, “This is CX, and this is where I want to build my career”? 

Brett: At ProFlowers, we were running broad email campaigns featuring red roses, but as I queried our campaign conversion data, I noticed that a meaningful share of customers were clicking and buying plants instead. We dug into the data and realized something bigger: we weren’t a one-size-fits-all company. We were serving multiple, invisible customer missions.

That insight led to the launch of ProPlants.com.

That was my “aha” moment: data wasn’t just describing behavior, it was revealing untapped businesses and customer needs inside the company, with real revenue and growth implications. I realized CX wasn’t a support function; it was a growth engine.

Promoting a product and driving a purchase are not the same thing. When teams focus only on incremental orders as a KPI, they often miss the more important signal — what customers actually buy when they convert. Product-level analysis reveals hidden patterns in intent and behavior, unlocking more precise segmentation and more relevant contact strategies.

EITK: You’ve led CRM, loyalty, and personalization at brands like Subway, StockX, Fanatics, CVS, and more. When you look back, what were the key moments that shaped how you think about customer experience today?

Brett: Across industries, the same pattern emerged: Data tells the truth unless you ask the wrong question. At Fanatics, we believed women primarily purchased youth apparel for their children. A senior female leader interrupted and simply said:

“I buy youth apparel because it fits me better than women’s sizing.”

Two others immediately agreed. That moment reframed everything: Data without human context creates false confidence, and false confidence leads to poor strategic decisions at scale. Context without data creates gut-driven risk.  True CX lives at the intersection. This is why I’m a firm believer in anchoring customer intelligence with three foundational data pillars (Transactional, Demographic, and Qualitative) before layering in more advanced signals.

EITK: Many leaders still treat CRM and CX as separate motions. When did it first “click” for you that CRM could actually be the engine of modern CX rather than just a marketing channel? 

Brett: When customer service teams started driving outcomes without marketing knowing it. At one company, we discovered customers were redeeming promotions that CRM and Marketing hadn’t sent. The root cause?  Customer service agents were issuing appeasement offers, but the data never flowed back to marketing.

Meanwhile, CRM and marketing teams unknowingly kept sending promotions and messaging to customers who were frustrated. Both teams were working in silos and were talking to the same customers. This resulted in customer confusion and frustration, and ultimately led to a decline in our retention rates.

So, we built a two-way data bridge:

• CRM data to customer service.
• Customer service data back to CRM.

That’s when CRM stopped being a channel and became the connective tissue that aligns experience, revenue, and enterprise decision-making.

EITK: At Fanatics, you had hundreds of customer attributes, but they weren’t connected to the service experience. What did it take, organizationally and technically, to finally close that data loop between CRM and customer service?

Brett: We had an executive whose order was delayed, and they’d contacted customer service about it. The package was delayed by three days due to a major storm in the region. The customer service team knew of the issue, but marketing didn’t. The CRM team continued to message the executive:

“How was your order?”

“Buy again.”

This was a horrible experience for a customer who hadn’t received their product.  This experience became the enterprise-level catalyst — highlighting how disconnected systems silently erode trust, loyalty, and lifetime value.

Technically, it required:

• Shared identifiers
• Data normalization
• Real-time syncing

Organizationally, it required:

• Executive alignment and prioritization

Once leaders felt the pain personally, alignment followed quickly, centralizing customer attributes and integrating them across all customer-facing channels.

EITK: Once you connected marketing data with customer service data, what did you see in the numbers that surprised you most about new versus loyal customers? 

Brett: New customers were the most fragile and, therefore, the most economically important to protect. They churned at dramatically higher rates after customer service interactions, not because they were harder to please, but because they had no emotional reserve bank. Loyal customers assume a bad experience is an exception. New customers assume it’s the norm.

So, we redesigned our customer service strategy:

• Dedicated agents for new customers
• Personalized scripts for certain customer segments
• CRM-based appeasement journeys

We stopped treating all customers equally and started treating them correctly, which materially improved early-life retention and long-term loyalty.

EITK: You built tailored routing and playbooks for new customers calling into customer service, then mirrored that with nurturing and win-back journeys in CRM. How did that approach change retention and brand trust in practice?

Brett: The retention rates for new customers who contacted customer service increased by 25% in the first year of implementation, and our net promoter scores (NPS) started to increase. This initial improvement really shone a light on the fact that we were sitting on all this rich customer data, and that if we could centralize, normalize, and integrate it across our channels, we could dramatically improve the user experience.

EITK: You’ve said that “customer service data is emotional data.” How do you explain that idea to executives who still see service interactions primarily as cost or operations, not as a core part of the data strategy? 

Brett: Because it records moments where trust is tested — moments that often determine whether a customer stays, leaves, or expands their relationship. Unfortunately, most companies treat service data as operational telemetry:

• Tickets
• Resolutions
• Average hold time (AHT)

But in reality, service data answers far more powerful questions:

• When are customers anxious?
• Where is trust breaking?
• What moments create churn risk?
• What triggers loyalty?

Customer service data is customer truth at the most human level. And CRM without emotional context is incomplete intelligence.

EITK: When you stepped into your role at Subway, leading personalization and guest affinity, what was the state of the organization, and what mandate were you given around loyalty, CRM, and the MarTech stack? As you look ahead, which emerging MarTech platforms or analytics approaches feel most promising, and which give you pause?

Brett: Like many brands, CRM was treated as a broadcast channel. The mandate was bold: “We don’t have millions of SKUs like Amazon. Prove personalization could drive measurable guest engagement, frequency, and revenue in a QSR environment.” We didn’t start with technology, which is where I see many companies fail.  They think plugging in a new email service provider (ESP) or customer data platform (CDP) will solve the problem.

We started with the customer.

I built a customer data mart with hundreds of attributes, then integrated CRM systems (ESP, CDP, etc.), and rapidly moved the team from:

• Batch-and-blast → behavioral segmentation

The return on investment (ROI) followed quickly.

Technology doesn’t create personalization: Leadership and data discipline do.

EITK: When you look across your career, what through-line connects the wins you’ve had in loyalty growth, retention, and revenue impact, even across very different brands and industries? 

Data is the only neutral referee inside an organization.

• When opinions clash, we test.
• When strategies stall, we test.
• When egos surface, we test.

This is why I prioritize building a test-and-learn methodology and process. CRM maturity isn’t about software; it’s about intellectual honesty and the ability to rapidly optimize your strategy for growth and incrementality.

EITK: What’s the mindset shift you want readers to make before reading Parts 2 and 3 of this blog series?  

Brett: Stop treating CRM as infrastructure.  Start treating it as a strategy and the nervous system of your customer experience. CRM is not a delivery system. It’s a decision system — one that informs revenue growth, retention strategy, and enterprise prioritization.

If you want personalization and artificial intelligence (AI) to work, the foundation must come first:

• Centralize your customer data into a single source of truth.
• Choose one meaningful customer problem to solve.
• Design a disciplined test-and-learn plan.
• Execute with focus and velocity.

CX doesn’t scale from tools. It scales from clarity, alignment, and leadership intent.

Closing the data loop between CRM and customer service is not a technology project; it’s a leadership decision.

When customer service data becomes part of your intelligence system (not just your operations dashboard), personalization becomes responsive, retention becomes predictable, and experience becomes intentional.

CX transformation doesn’t start with tools. It begins with truth.

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll move from foundation to execution and unpack how winning CRM teams scale personalization across channels and turn insight into action. Stay tuned.

About Brett Charobee

Brett Charobee is a senior marketing executive and customer growth leader specializing in CRM, loyalty, personalization, MarTech, and omni-channel strategy for consumer-driven brands. Over the past two decades, he has built and scaled customer-centric growth engines for global organizations, including Subway, CVS, Fanatics, and StockX. Most recently as VP of Global Personalization & Guest Affinity at Subway, Brett led enterprise CRM, loyalty, and MarTech transformation across 20+ markets and hundreds of millions of customers, unifying data, channels, and technology into a single operating system for customer engagement that drove meaningful gains in revenue, acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.

As a Chief Customer Officer–caliber leader, Brett is known for integrating customer experience, data, and commercialization into a single strategy. He transforms fragmented marketing, product, and data teams into integrated growth organizations—evolving CRM from a channel function into a predictive, AI-enabled revenue engine. His work centers on building omni-channel experiences that feel personal at scale while delivering measurable business impact. A frequent speaker and advisor on personalization, loyalty, and customer experience, Brett helps brands move from reactive marketing to customer-led growth.

The post Laying the Groundwork for Scalable CX: Q&A with a Former Subway Executive appeared first on Execs In The Know.

At Execs In The Know, we believe leadership starts with service. It’s about showing up for others, leading with integrity, and creating a culture built on trust and purpose. This Veterans Day, we’re proud to highlight two members of our leadership team who embody those values every day: President Chad McDaniel and Vice President of Sales Scott Moberly, both veterans who continue to lead through the lessons their military service instilled.  

Their reflections on teamwork, resilience, and mission-driven leadership remind us that the principles forged in service extend far beyond the call of duty. They shape how we show up for our teams, our customers, and our communities. From understanding the power of trust to staying calm under pressure and always keeping purpose at the center, their experiences are a powerful reminder that leadership, at its core, is about people. 

In the conversation below, Chad and Scott share what Veterans Day means to them, the parallels between military and business leadership, and how their service continues to shape the way they lead today, with empathy, accountability, and a deep sense of responsibility to those they serve. 

Execs In The Know (EITK): How have your military experiences shaped the way you lead, build teams, or make decisions in business? 

Chad McDaniel: My time in the military taught me that leadership isn’t about titles; it’s about trust. You quickly learn that the success of the mission depends on how well you empower those around you and how clearly you communicate the ‘why’ behind every decision. I try to build environments where people feel part of something bigger than themselves and know their role matters. 

EITK: Veterans Day is about honoring service and sacrifice. Looking back, what does this day mean to you personally now as a business leader? 

Scott Moberly: Veterans Day is a powerful reminder of the service and sacrifice that so many have made to protect our freedoms. Personally, as a business leader, it reinforces the values I strive to embody every day — commitment, resilience, and putting something larger than myself above personal interest.  

It’s a moment to reflect on the courage and dedication of those who serve, and it inspires me to lead with integrity, support my team, and create an environment where everyone feels valued. Beyond honoring veterans, it challenges me to think about how my decisions and actions can contribute positively to the communities and people I’m privileged to work with. 

EITK: What parallels do you see between serving in the military and leading in customer experience, especially around teamwork, accountability, and mission focus? 

Chad: Success depends on teamwork, accountability, and a shared sense of goals. In the military, you learn that every role, no matter how small it might seem, contributes to the larger outcome. It’s the same in CX. Every interaction, every decision, and every team member has an impact on the customer. 

When everyone understands the purpose behind what we do — to serve, to improve, to create better outcomes for customers — the team will rally around it. 

Scott: There’s a strong connection between military service and customer experience leadership— both are grounded in teamwork, accountability, and mission focus. In the military, success depends on every individual understanding their role, taking ownership of their responsibilities, and working seamlessly with the team to accomplish the mission. Similarly, in CX leadership, achieving exceptional customer outcomes requires aligning teams across functions, ensuring everyone is accountable for their part, and keeping the overall customer experience mission front and center. 

Both environments demand clear communication, trust in your team, and the ability to adapt under pressure. The discipline, focus, and sense of shared purpose I learned in the military directly inform the way I approach CX leadership, ensuring that everyone is moving in the same direction and that we are all committed to delivering value to our customers. 

EITK: For leaders across the CX industry, what’s one thing you think they could learn from veterans about resilience or service? 

Chad: Again, in the military, you learn to stay calm under pressure, to adapt when plans fall apart, and to keep moving forward with purpose. 

In customer experience, that same mindset applies. Our environment in CX is constantly evolving, driven by new technology, shifting expectations, and economic pressures. Resilience is about serving others even when it’s difficult, staying focused on the goal. Veterans understand that service means showing up, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed, and that’s a powerful lesson for any CX leader.  

Scott: One thing leaders across the CX industry could learn from veterans is the importance of resilience grounded in service. In the military, resilience isn’t just about enduring challenges; it’s about staying focused on the mission and supporting those around you, even in difficult circumstances. That mindset translates directly to CX leadership: staying committed to delivering exceptional experiences, adapting through uncertainty, and putting the needs of customers and your team at the forefront. Veterans understand that true strength comes from combining personal perseverance with a sense of purpose and service, and that lesson is invaluable for anyone leading in customer experience. 

EITK: What lessons or habits from your time in the military still influence the way you approach challenges or change in your work today? 

Scott: My time in the military instilled habits and lessons that continue to shape how I approach challenges today. Discipline, adaptability, and a focus on mission-first thinking are central, whether it’s navigating a complex business challenge or leading a team through change. The military also reinforced the importance of preparation and resilience: no matter how uncertain the circumstances, having a plan, staying calm under pressure, and leaning on your team makes all the difference. Ultimately, it taught me that leadership is about service, supporting those around you so that together, you can overcome obstacles and achieve results. 

EITK: In CX, we talk a lot about serving others and earning trust. How does that align with the values you learned through military service? 

Chad: In the military, you learn that trust isn’t given by rank or title; it’s earned through consistency, integrity, and showing up for your team, day after day. 

That same principle applies in CX. Whether it’s your customers or your employees, people trust leaders and brands that lead with authenticity, follow through on commitments, and put others first. Service, to me, has never been about self; it’s about ensuring others have what they need to succeed.  

EITK: Can you share a story or moment from your military service that’s stayed with you and continues to guide your leadership style? 

Scott: When I first joined the military after college and completed my initial training, I reported to my first duty station in Southern Germany as a second lieutenant. Meeting my boss for the first time, he shared some advice that’s stuck with me ever since and that I’ve passed on to others as well.  

He said, “Lieutenant, you’re bound to make mistakes, and that’s okay — just make sure you don’t make them twice.” 

Chad: One of the most meaningful lessons I learned in the military was watching how leaders put their teams first. 

In my work today, I try to live by that same principle. Whether it’s customers, partners, or my team, I believe leadership means creating an environment where others can succeed. It’s about service, not status. 

Thank You

This Veterans Day, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chad, Scott, and all military veterans across our CX community. Your service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to others inspire us daily and strengthen the very values that define our community: courage, connection, and service. 

The post Veterans Day Reflections: Leadership, Service, and the Spirit of CX appeared first on Execs In The Know.

That’s why this issue of CX Insight is all about clarity: how to lead with it, design for it, and sustain it in an age defined by distraction.

The October issue brings together a powerful lineup of leaders and ideas that challenge how we think about focus, artificial intelligence (AI), and the invisible systems that power the customer experience (CX). Whether you’re recalibrating your 2026 roadmap or simply trying to cut through the noise of daily demands, this issue offers a fresh perspective on what it means to lead with intention.

Leading with Clarity in the Age of Distraction

Our cover story features former NFL quarterback Travis Brown, who has turned the art of focus into a leadership framework. In a world of nonstop notifications and dashboards, Brown argues that clarity isn’t a luxury; it’s a discipline.

He challenges leaders to ask: What am I willing to mute so my team can hear what matters? Am I designing systems that simplify or complicate my people’s work?

Brown’s philosophy, “married to the mission, but only dating the methods,” is one every CX leader can appreciate. It’s a reminder that while technology and tools will continue to change, the clarity of purpose behind them should not.

Beyond Resolution: How AI Is Redefining CX

The AI conversation is shifting from hype to impact. In this contributed article by Sierra, you’ll see how brands like Chime are reframing automation as a brand builder.

AI agents are becoming ambassadors of a company’s voice, tone, and values. They’re not just resolving tickets; they’re shaping the customer’s perception of trust and care.

Here’s the question this article leaves us with: Are we measuring the right things? As AI takes on more of the front line, customer satisfaction (CSAT) for AI interactions can’t remain an afterthought. Leaders must evolve how they measure success, beyond speed and resolution, to capture emotional resonance, trust, and consistency.

Brand Spotlight: GoodLeap

Few brands embody operational excellence with as much heart as GoodLeap. COO and Execs In The Know advisory board member Paul Brandt opens up about how he leads with empathy, precision, and purpose, proving that operational excellence is the foundation of extraordinary CX.

He reminds us that, “Being operationally excellent is the foundation for a phenomenal customer experience. You can’t deliver delight if you don’t deliver the basics.”

From pioneering AI-powered internal tools to keeping humanity at the center of innovation, GoodLeap’s story demonstrates that simplicity, when done well, is a competitive advantage.

The Hidden Power of the Back Office

Every CX leader knows that the customer experience doesn’t stop at the contact center. This article explores the unseen world behind the scenes, where billing accuracy, claims processing, and order fulfillment quietly define the customer journey.

The findings are clear: silos between the front and back offices not only slow progress but also block visibility into the very metrics that matter most. As Michael Kors puts it, even luxury brands depend on operational precision: “Every touchpoint, from claim submission to resolution, must reflect the same level of care that defines the brand.”

AI Can’t Fix Bad Knowledge

ProcedureFlow’s contributed article delivers a timely reminder: no AI initiative can succeed without knowledge governance.

AI can accelerate efficiency, but it can also amplify inconsistency if the data beneath it is flawed.

This article explores how knowledge management, content accuracy, and compliance form the foundation of every successful AI strategy. The message is both practical and urgent: AI is only as intelligent as the systems that feed it.

Are You Measuring CSAT for AI?

AI is now the “first face” of many customer interactions, but are you measuring how well it performs?

This feature challenges leaders to rethink what customer satisfaction looks like when bots, not humans, deliver care. Because if AI is part of your brand’s frontline, it’s also part of your brand’s reputation.

KIA Spotlight: Crate & Barrel

We close the issue with an interview with Kate Showalter and a look inside Crate & Barrel, where collaboration and design come together to create meaningful customer connections.

The story underscores that great CX doesn’t just happen at the point of sale; it’s built in every conversation, every process, every touchpoint.

Crate & Barrel’s approach is a beautiful reminder that design thinking and human empathy can turn transactions into relationships.

What’s Next: Leading with Clarity as a Competitive Advantage

As 2026 approaches, CX leaders face a defining question: Will you be reactive or intentional? The most successful brands are choosing signal over noise and designing for clarity, measuring what matters, and aligning technology with empathy.

This issue is packed with ideas to help you do exactly that. From redefining AI metrics to building high-EQ teams, from simplifying frontline processes to empowering back-office collaboration, it’s a roadmap for leading with focus and foresight.

Read and download the October issue of CX Insight magazine today.

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