My birthday, Queen Máxima and one CX leadership lesson

Every year on the 17th of May, I secretly smile a little. Not only because it is my birthday, but also because I share that birthday with Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. You can clearly see she is at least a year older than I am, right? 😉

This year, my birthday made me think back to one very specific moment from years ago.

At the time, I was leading a team of 100 people in IT at ASR Netherlands and I was also part of the board of Women in Financial Services. We organised our yearly event and, slightly nervous and wildly optimistic, decided to invite Queen Máxima.

And then something happened we honestly did not expect.

She said yes.

Her visit was immaculately planned and I think it cost me at least a few years of my life in nerves alone. But as board members, we also had the opportunity to meet her personally and have a real conversation about money, female careers in finance and financial literacy. I still remember talking about pocket money for her daughters. Such fun. So human. So normal.

But what I absolutely did not realise at that moment was how much impact that one visible moment would have later.

Because there were photographers there. Journalists. Internal communication teams. Pictures started circulating across the financial industry and inside ASR Netherlands. A month later, I unexpectedly appeared in Elegance magazine, which felt hilariously glamorous at the time. The funniest part? My mother called me almost a year later to tell me she was sitting in the dentist waiting room and that old edition of Elegance was still lying there, with my picture in it.

And months after that, footage from the event was reused in a Dutch television programme during primetime TV.

Nothing fundamentally changed about me overnight. I did not suddenly become smarter, more experienced or more talented. But I became visible. And visibility multiplies.

Great work does not always speak for itself

This is one of the most underestimated leadership lessons in Customer Experience.

So many brilliant CX professionals, maybe even you, believe that if they simply work hard enough, people will automatically notice them. Sometimes they do. But often they don’t. Not because the work lacks quality, not because the insights are not strong enough and definitely not because the CX professional is not capable enough.

But because organisations are busy. People are distracted. Priorities shift. And opportunities often flow toward the people others remember.

That may feel uncomfortable to admit, especially in a field like Customer Experience, where so much of the work is about substance, listening, improvement and long-term change. But visibility matters. Not as ego. Not as self-promotion for the sake of self-promotion. But because meaningful work needs to be connected to memory, trust and momentum.

Strategic CX leadership is not just about doing great work. It is also about being present in the right rooms, building relationships, speaking up, sharing your perspective and connecting your work to the bigger business conversation.

The CX leaders who create real change inside organisations are often not simply the people with the most knowledge in the room. They are the people who consistently show up around the right conversations. They make their thinking visible. They help others understand why Customer Experience matters. They translate customer insights into business relevance. They connect dots that others are too busy to see.

And because of that, they are remembered when new opportunities arise.

A strategic programme. A transformation initiative. A leadership role. A seat at the table. A stage. A conversation with decision-makers.

Visibility creates memory. And memory creates opportunity.

Why many CX professionals wait too long

I still see many brilliant CX professionals waiting too long before they step forward.

Waiting until they know more. Waiting until they feel more confident. Waiting until they have another certification, another year of experience or another success story to prove they are ready.

Meanwhile they, maybe you 😉, are often already more than capable enough to contribute at a higher level.

The real shift is not always about becoming better first. Sometimes the real shift is allowing yourself to be seen with what you already bring: your experience, your perspective, your customer knowledge, your ability to connect operational reality with strategic choices, your understanding of what customers need and what organisations struggle to change.

That is valuable. And if you keep it too hidden, the organisation misses part of your leadership.

And let’s be clear: visibility in CX leadership is not about becoming louder than everyone else. It is not about performing confidence you do not feel. And it is definitely not about turning yourself into a personal brand machine if that does not fit you.

Visibility can be much more grounded than that. It can be asking the sharper question in a meeting. Sharing a customer insight with the leadership team. Presenting the pattern behind the complaints instead of only reporting the numbers. Volunteering to speak at an internal session. Writing a short reflection on LinkedIn. Joining a podcast conversation. Bringing a strong CX showcase to an event. Taking the stage, even when your inner critic would rather keep you safely in the audience.

Visibility starts with a simple leadership decision:

I have something valuable to contribute, and I am willing to let people see it.

One visible moment can shift how people see you

That one moment with Queen Máxima reminded me of this again.

One room. One opportunity. One conversation. One visible moment.

Sometimes that is all it takes to change how people start seeing you. Not because you have changed overnight, but because they finally connect your name, your face, your work and your value.

That is what visibility does. It gives your work a place in people’s memory.

And in Customer Experience, where change depends so much on influence, trust and timing, that memory matters.

So here is my question for you as a CX leader: where are you still doing great work too quietly? Where are you waiting to be noticed, while you could also choose to step forward? And what is one visible moment you could say yes to this year?

Maybe it is speaking at an event. Maybe it is sharing a showcase. Maybe it is posting the photo after an award ceremony instead of keeping it in your camera roll. Maybe it is joining a podcast conversation. Maybe it is simply speaking up in a room where CX needs to be connected more clearly to business priorities.

Whatever it is, do not underestimate it.

Because visibility creates memory. And memory creates opportunity.

So my little birthday wish to myself, for you, is this: say yes to something that makes you more visible.

And if I can help you get there, I would love to. Be a guest on my podcast CX Leadership Talks. Speak at one of my events. Bring a brilliant showcase. Take that selfie at the International CX Awards in November and post it on LinkedIn.

I am your supporter. Your wing woman in CX leadership. Always.

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