#26 The CX Edge: How Boards Can Support Growth and Profitability
I’ve been talking to a lot of boards and leaders lately. Everybody agrees: customer-centricity is essential for long-term growth and profitability. It sounds straightforward—prioritize the customer, align leadership, and empower teams. But even though everyone agrees, it rarely gets done. The gap isn’t in understanding the importance—it’s in execution.
Last week, I shared why spending time with customers—on the ground—is so valuable. This week, we zoom out and look at the bigger picture: how boards can support their CEOs and teams in creating a customer-first organization.
Real change may not always start at the top, but for customer-centricity to become a sustainable practice, it must be accepted, adopted, and eventually driven by leadership. Here are 5 simple but effective ways that boards can make a difference:
1. Make Customer-Centricity a Key Priority
Customer focus isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a business necessity. As a board member, ensure the company has a clear, actionable vision of customer-centricity tied to measurable goals. Work with leadership to define what this means for your business and implement it as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or KPIs like, e.g., improved retention or onboarding completion rates.
Make key metrics a regular topic in board meetings and track progress. This keeps customer success central to strategic decisions.
2. Advocate for Collaboration and an Agile Mindset
Customers don’t see silos, but many organizations operate in them. Boards can challenge leadership to promote cross-functional collaboration and encourage agile ways of working. Encourage teams to experiment and iterate to both improve on key metrics and to identify completely new ways to deliver value.
By supporting this approach, boards help ensure the company stays adaptable and customer-focused.
3. Support Leadership That Prioritizes the Customer
Customer focus starts with good leadership. The CEO is not just the Chief Executive Officer but also, by default, the Chief Experience Officer. CEOs and leaders who truly care about customers inspire their teams to do the same. Support leaders who actively listen to customers, act on feedback, and encourage collaboration between departments.
Also, celebrate customer successes. Recognize teams who go the extra mile for customers—it builds a culture that values customer satisfaction throughout the whole organization.
4. Invest in Design and Customer Experience Talent
Great customer experiences don’t happen by chance. They are created by talented teams working in design, user experience (UX), and customer experience (CX). Boards should encourage the company to invest in hiring and training the right people in these areas. It’s an investment that directly improves both growth and customer satisfaction.
5. Spend Time with Customers and Teams
As someone with a background in user and customer research, I’ve seen firsthand how observing real interactions transforms understanding. Most recently at Touchtech, I joined our CEO in-store to watch how sales staff and shoppers used our technology. The insights were eye-opening and couldn’t have come from a report.
Encourage board members and leaders to spend time each year visiting customers, shadowing users, and seeing the company’s services in action. It’s a small time investment with a big impact.
Customer-centricity require leadership
Customer-centricity doesn’t happen by chance—it happens through leadership. Boards, CEOs, and teams must work together to make it a reality. As board members, it’s our role to support this alignment and inspire meaningful change.
So, if you’re not already doing this, what’s holding you back?