Last year, I launched a Spring Leadership Series to think about leadership in nontraditional ways. As 2024 continued, I presented additional ways to think about leadership during my Olympics Leadership Series and Holiday Leadership Series. With a new year upon us, I've invited 25 thought leaders to share their responses to five questions relating to team-building, reading, and leadership. My #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 began the first day of Spring and continues through June 20th, the first day of Summer.
Before we begin, I'd like to applaud two special individuals for providing the inspiration for this series. First, big applause goes to Erika Andersen, a leadership expert and author who I've had the pleasure of knowing for nearly 15 years, and she's appeared on my blog 13 times since 2011. She wrote an article for Forbes entitled, "How Springtime Can Make Us Better Leaders," and that article serves as the core of the series as its first question. Second, I also applaud Joseph Lalonde, a leadership expert and author of a book called REEL LEADERSHIP, for planting the seeds for last year's Spring Leadership Series on my blog. After I read Joe's book, I started looking at movies as well as works of fiction, TV shows, and TV characters with "leadership-tinted glasses."
For today's post, I'd like to introduce Annette Franz based in Southern California. Annette is the founder and Chief Experience Officer of CX Journey Inc. She's a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) who has dedicated her professional life of 30+ years to understanding and enhancing the experiences for both employees and customers, thereby driving retention, satisfaction, and engagement. She's a consultant, speaker, and author of three books: Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the "Customer" in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of the Business); Built to Win: Designing a Customer-Centric Culture That Drives Value for Your Business; and Employee Understanding: A Three-Pillar Framework for Designing a Great Experience and Driving Business Success.
QUESTION: Leadership expert and author Erika Andersen wrote an article for Forbes entitled, "How Springtime Can Make Us Better Leaders." In the article, Erika compared gardening to management and leadership. What are your thoughts, or was there something that stood out from the article?
ANNETTE FRANZ: I loved the article and love the analogy. Her five points were spot on. The one that especially resonated with me, given the release of my new book on Employee Understanding, was her point about "preparing the soil." Listen to employees. Listen, ask, hear. So important. And then create an environment that allows your people to thrive and grow.
QUESTION: What was the most recent example of inspiring leadership that made an impact on you?
ANNETTE FRANZ: I have been a long-time follower and fan of Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller. In a recent article, he talked about a quote from Simon Sinek ("When we help ourselves, we find moments of happiness. When we help others, we find lasting fulfillment.") and the mindset shift from "me" to "we." This reminded me of another great leader that I admire, someone I interviewed many years ago, Peter Aceto, CEO of Tangerine Bank. We talked about his book, Weology, which has a slightly different spin on the concept but with equally great outcomes. Take care of your people, and the business thrives.
SHARE THIS: Take care of your people, and the business thrives. ~@AnnetteFranz #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 #DebbieLaskeysBlog
QUESTION: What is your favorite team-building activity, and why?
ANNETTE FRANZ: There are a lot of great team-building activities, but I'll name one that I enjoy because it's so basic, simple, and common sense: Human Bingo. Bingo card squares are filled with random facts (that aren't easily knowable or discoverable without more in-depth conversations) about everyone on the team. Players walk around and talk to colleagues to find someone who fits each description. The person who fits a description signs or writes their name in the corresponding box.
This activity boosts communication and listening skills. It fosters connection and engagement. It forces employees to talk to their colleagues and get to know them on a deeper, more personal level. This latter point, getting to know people beyond their professional roles and skills, is critical to building a strong team.
SHARE THIS: Getting to know people beyond their professional roles and skills, is critical to building a strong team. ~@AnnetteFranz #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 #DebbieLaskeysBlog
QUESTION: Which book is on the top of your to-be-read pile, and why?
ANNETTE FRANZ: My next read is Rays of Truth. The book is a collection of 26 short essays that emerged after the authors' own journeys into personal reflection. Since I am always looking for new ways to think about leadership, growth, life, and our collective journeys, I look forward to being inspired by these 26 leaders and their words of wisdom.
QUESTION: In the past year, has a TV show, film, or work of fiction stood out as a result of its emphasis on leadership?
ANNETTE FRANZ: This is a timely question, though my answer may not be the first show that comes to mind when thinking about leadership. I recently watched an episode of S.W.A.T. that featured an officer navigating the challenges of leading the S.W.A.T. Academy. In particular, he struggled with adversity and pushback from one of the trainees. The episode highlighted key leadership lessons: both what not to do and the importance of listening, learning, and admitting when you're wrong. His initial reaction and response, even after being called out, demonstrated the pitfalls of poor leadership. However, the underlying message was clear: great leaders acknowledge mistakes, embrace constructive criticism, and use those lessons to grow.
SHARE THIS: Great leaders acknowledge mistakes, embrace constructive criticism, and use those lessons to grow. ~@AnnetteFranz #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 #DebbieLaskeysBlog
My gratitude to Annette for sharing her leadership insights and for being a part of my #SpringLeadershipSeries2025. Did these questions open your eyes to think about leadership in nontraditional ways? That was the hope!
Image Credit: Kenny ELiason via Unsplash.
Read Erika Andersen's article, "How Springtime Can Make Us Better Leaders"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2015/05/14/how-springtime-can-make-us-better-leaders/
Read Bob Chapman's article that Annette referenced:
Read Annette's interview of Peter Aceto from 2016:
https://cx-journey.com/2016/10/weology-we-comes-before-me-part-2.html
Read Annette's previous appearances here on my blog:
Tips for Excellent Customer Experiences, Interactions & Feedback (April 2021)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2021/04/tips-for-excellent-customer-experiences.html
Fall Back to Reading with 12 Thought-Provoking Business Books - Including a Review of Annette's Book (October 2019)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2019/10/fall-back-to-reading-with-12-thought.html
Sharing Secrets about Customer Experience Marketing (June 2018)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2018/06/sharing-secrets-about-customer.html
Customer Service Is Not Something to Drive Around (June 2016)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2016/06/customer-service-is-not-something-to.html
A Tale of Customer Experience and Exact Change (September 2013)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2013/09/a-tale-of-customer-experience-and-exact.html
It's All About the Touchpoints! (June 2013)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2013/06/its-all-about-touchpoints.html
Connect with Annette at these links:
Website: https://annettefranz.com/
Website: https://cx-journey.com/
Blog: https://cx-journey.com/blog
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-franz
Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/annettefranz
Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/cxjourney
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