I would not want the job of CEO (rest easy Nick Francis). So much pressure to hit the numbers and “move the needle” in the short term. Even when you know in your heart and your mind that what might work in the short term may be ruining the product in the long term.

How hard it must be to prioritise the sort of long, tedious projects that will ultimately enable much better customer experiences, but that will make no impact for months, and may even cost you opportunities in the short term.

No wonder so many companies in need grab for those sweet, sweet marshmallows of flashy features instead. For customer service leaders desperate for bug fixes and long-needed-but-dull improvements, it can be endlessly frustrating. But that is why it helps to understand the tensions of the business you are in.

If you can only truly grok your own piece of the business, you can’t understand why some decisions are made, and you won’t be effective in arguing for your own projects.

The best CX leaders can connect with other parts of the business, and find ways to make those long term investments more palatable and tempting to everyone.

It takes a real combination of skills and a bunch of hard work. Also, I assume, lots of spreadsheets.