#68 Envisioning your brilliant 2026: Your guided strategic CX planning session

How do you want to lead in 2026?  In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem helps CX leaders move from intention to direction. Not by creating a long to-do list, but by making conscious, strategic choices about where to focus.  With 2026 themed as Strategizing CX, this episode is an invitation to slow down, zoom out, and design your year with clarity. Nienke guides you through five must-win battles every CX leader should define for themselves: impact and results, strategy vision and purpose, engagement and cultural change, personal growth and development, and work-life balance and well-being.  This is not a quick listen. It’s a working session. You’ll be encouraged to grab a journal, think bigger than you normally do in CX, and translate ambition into concrete focus. Along the way, Nienke shares personal examples, lessons from CX leaders she mentors, and practical questions to help you decide what truly matters and what can wait.  The episode closes with a powerful exercise: writing a letter to yourself from the end of 2026, already successful.  If you want to lead CX more strategically, align your work with what really matters in your organization, and still protect your energy and joy, this episode is for you.  Press play, take your time, and start shaping your 2026 with intention.  Timestamped overview:  00:00 Strategic success in CX  05:51 Aligning goals and defining success  07:20 Prioritizing CX projects for impact  12:17 Building a strong CX strategy  13:33 Strategy to execution challenges  19:00 Strategizing CX engagement  20:31 Culture shift and behavioral change  25:21 Commit to growth opportunities  29:39 Prioritize strategic time planning  31:28 Habits for wellness and focus  35:23 Future success and CX impact  37:51 Strategizing CX and leadership  About Nienke:     Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.      She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.     Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.      With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.