#77 Leading from the middle: Sally Foley-Lewis on empowering CX Leaders to drive change

Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks! The podcast for CX leaders who want to spice up their leadership.  In this inspiring episode, your host Nienke Bloem dives into an incredibly valuable conversation with global keynote speaker, educator, and "burger lady" Sally Foley-Lewis. Together, they explore the true power - and challenges - of leading from the middle. Discover why the best is in the middle, how to influence without formal authority, and how to proceed until apprehended.   Get ready for practical tips, fresh insights, and a healthy dose of CX leadership inspiration!  Timestamped overview:  00:00 Introducing Sally Foley-Lewis  06:15 Food as a universal concept  09:46 Discussing AI impact on organizations  14:16 Empowering middle managers  18:01 Importance of creating CX strategy  19:45 Navigating stakeholder management and authority  23:09 Importance of clear communication  26:15 Leading from the middle  30:15 Thinking strategically as a leader  32:32 Building strong internal networks  37:26 Importance of receiving feedback  40:20 Building professional networks  44:52 Connecting and collaborating with others  45:35 Show closing and contact info  Extra information:  Connect with Sally on LinkedIn or visit her website.   Sally's book recommendations:  The Best is in the Middle by Sally Foley-Lewis  Managing oneself by Peter F. Drucker   Here you can find the survey Sally invites you to fill in.     About Nienke:  Nienke Bloem is a global Customer Experience (CX) thought leader, keynote speaker, and educator.  She helps CX leaders move from doing customer experience to leading it by building strong CX strategies, crafting compelling CX Stories, and driving measurable business impact. Spicing up CX Leadership  Nienke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and a Recognized Training Provider of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA).  With over 20 years of corporate experience, she combines business strategy, leadership, and customer experience to help organizations turn CX into real results.  Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned or visit her website  for more information!  Her mission is simple: Make Customer Experience Work. And yes, she always wears her signature blue dress 😊