Seven sources of inspiration to help you think, move and lead differently

August is here. For me, that means returning from the Italian Alps, reluctantly leaving behind the mountains, long walks, beautiful views and cappuccinos, and sitting down to write.

This month, I am working on my ANI CX Leadership book. Every day, I sit down for two hours to type, think and put my voice on paper. When I tell people about this project, they often ask where I find the inspiration to keep writing.

My answer is simple: I actively go looking for it.

Inspiration rarely appears while you are moving from one meeting to the next, answering emails and working through your to-do list. You need to create space for new ideas, expose yourself to different perspectives and occasionally step outside the familiar world of CX dashboards, journey maps and governance meetings.

That is why I created this personal CX leadership inspiration menu for August. It contains seven different ways to feed your curiosity, broaden your thinking and bring fresh energy into your leadership.

Please don’t try to do everything. Choose one or two suggestions that appeal to you and start there.

1. Watch something that changes your perspective

Steven Van Belleghem on YouTube

Steven Van Belleghem’s YouTube channel is filled with CX trends, customer cases, keynotes and ideas about technology, trust and customer culture. Steven has a talent for making major developments practical and understandable, while helping you look beyond today and consider what customers will expect tomorrow.

Choose one of his videos and ask yourself what the development he describes could mean for your organisation, your customers and your role as a CX leader.

Seven Days Out: Eleven Madison Park

Episode two of Netflix’s Seven Days Out follows the team behind Eleven Madison Park as they prepare to reopen one of the world’s most famous restaurants.

Pay attention to the leadership, the standards and the extraordinary care for every detail. Everyone understands the experience they are trying to create and the part they play in delivering it. For me, this is a brilliant example of customer-centric leadership in action.

Hacks on HBO Max

I laughed so hard while watching Hacks. The series is smart, sharp and sometimes painfully honest. It follows an experienced comedian and a younger writer who have to work together, despite seeing the world from completely different perspectives.

Underneath the humour are valuable lessons about storytelling, stamina, collaboration and letting go of your ego. It also shows what can happen when people from different generations genuinely learn to work with each other.

2. Listen to conversations that go deeper

Feel Better, Live More

In the Feel Better, Live More podcast, Rangan Chatterjee has in-depth conversations about health, energy, stress, sleep and behaviour.

These episodes remind me that leadership is physical too. Inspiring others becomes increasingly difficult when you are exhausted, stressed and running from one meeting to another all day. Taking care of your health influences your presence, your decisions and the energy you bring into a room. I also happen to love his English accent, which makes listening even more enjoyable.

De Grote Podcastlas

The Dutch podcast De Grote Podcastlas takes listeners on journeys through countries, cultures, history and politics. I almost always learn something I didn’t know before, and their storytelling is simply fantastic.

This is exactly what inspiration can do: it takes you outside your own bubble and reminds you how much there is to discover beyond your professional field.

How to Turn Every Presentation into a CX Leadership Moment

How to Turn Every Presentation into a CX Leadership Moment is one of the most popular episodes of my own CX Leadership Talks podcast.

The idea behind it is straightforward: every presentation is a leadership moment. A presentation gives you an opportunity to strengthen your Authority, sharpen your Narrative and create Impact.

The next time you prepare a presentation, look beyond the information you want to share. Ask yourself what you want your audience to think, feel and do afterwards.

3. Read books that broaden your leadership thinking

Design Love In by Marcus Buckingham

Stephan van Slooten recommended Design Love In to me, and I am very grateful that he did. The book explores how organisations can create more love, respect and humanity at work. In a world that can feel increasingly harsh and unfair, that message matters.

How can we build organisations that people love working for and customers love buying from? That is a leadership question, and I am sure this won’t be the last time I mention this book.

Would You Do That to Your Mother? by Jeanne Bliss

This is a book I would happily push into the hands of every CX professional.

In Would You Do That to Your Mother?, Jeanne Bliss uses one simple question to expose the ridiculous things organisations sometimes ask their customers to accept. Think of confusing forms, endless hold music and policies that nobody can explain.

When you view these situations through the ‘Mom lens’, the process suddenly becomes personal. You see the human being affected by it.

For me, this is one of the most undervalued books in the entire CX field. Its power lies in the simplicity of the idea and how easily you can apply it in your own organisation.

Read something completely outside CX

Choose a book about psychology, hospitality, influence, storytelling, game design or creativity. Another explanation of what a customer journey is may add very little to what you already know. An idea from a completely different discipline could help you move people, create energy or make your message more memorable.

I am currently rereading Influence by Robert Cialdini. It remains a masterpiece on the psychology of persuasion.

4. Go deeper into power and influence

Harvard Business School Online: Power and Influence for Positive Impact

If the other suggestions on this list are your afternoon coffee, Power and Influence for Positive Impact is your August project. The next cohort starts on 19 August.

This is a leadership course that explores how influence really works inside organisations, how power is built and how leaders can use both to create positive change.

I completed this course in 2023, and it gave me a much deeper understanding of stakeholder management, power and genuine influence. That knowledge is essential for CX leaders. You can have outstanding customer insights and a brilliant CX strategy, but change will only happen when you know how to influence the people in the room.

5. Move your body and change your state

Try something you have never done before

Over the years, I have tried aerial yoga, cold-water swimming, Rocycle, Reformer Pilates and many other activities that made me feel like a beginner again.

Doing something new wakes me up and reminds me what it feels like when you don’t understand the rules yet. That is a valuable experience for any leader, especially when you expect customers or employees to find their way through unfamiliar processes.

You could try a new sports class, dancing, climbing, ceramics, comedy or simply take a completely different walking route. Choose something that makes you curious and slightly uncomfortable.

Explore connected breathwork

Breathwork has helped me become quieter in my body and create more space in my head. Inspiration sometimes arrives when you finally slow down and allow your mind to settle.

This conversation with James Nestor about breathing is a good place to start exploring what your breath could do for your energy, focus and leadership. At times, the shift you need begins by changing your physical state.

6. Experience CX in the real world

Go on a CX safari

Visit a hotel, museum, restaurant, hospital, airport or shop and deliberately experience it as a customer. Observe the welcome, the waiting time, the language, the environment and the behaviour of the employees. Pay particular attention to what happens when something goes wrong.

Afterwards, ask yourself:

• What surprised me?
• What will I remember?
• Which element could we use in our own organisation?

An ordinary afternoon can become valuable CX fieldwork. You can use your observations in your CX storytelling and perhaps translate one of them into a practical improvement within your organisation.

7. Connect with someone outside your usual world

Reach out to a sports coach, designer, teacher, entrepreneur, artist or leader from another industry. Ask what they are learning, which developments they are noticing and what currently gives them energy.

Some of the most valuable ideas reach us through other people, especially when their world looks very different from our own.

Where will you find your CX leadership inspiration?

Choose two ideas from this list and genuinely make time for them. Watch the documentary, read the book, take the course, try something new or plan your own CX safari.

Fresh ideas rarely appear between two appointments in an already crowded calendar. Inspiration needs space, curiosity and a willingness to step outside your familiar routines.

So, what will you do this August to get your creative juices flowing?

Until next time, keep spicing up your Customer Experience leadership.