#56 Becoming the Lovable Star: The warmth & competence advantage in CX Leadership

Ever felt your brilliant CX roadmap hit a brick wall of internal resistance? In this solo episode, your host Nienke Bloem reveals why influence inside your organization depends on two human signals - warmth and competence - and how you can dial up both to become the Lovable Star colleagues trust and senior leaders follow.  

Inspired by a mountain-top holiday encounter with a servant-hearted hotel owner and a candid leadership lesson from HEMA CEO Saskia Egas Reparaz, Nienke distills the science into 9 practical tips (3 for warmth, 3 for competence, 3 for everyone). 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why warmth beats raw skill as the first gateway to trust - and how the warmth/ competence matrix works (Fiske & Cuddy) 

• The four leadership quadrants and the trap of being a “Competent Jerk” 

• How a sommelier-turned-hotel-owner models visible, servant leadership - plus a real-world boardroom example from the CEO of HEMA 

• 3 ways to ramp up warmth when you’re seen as distant 

• 3 ways to boost competence when you’re liked but not taken seriously 

• 3 universal moves every CX leader can start this week to spice up influence across silos 

• A simple self-audit to locate yourself on the matrix and pick the right next habit 

 
Time-stamped overview 

 [00:00:00] - [00:01:32] Introduction: Why warmth beats competence 

[00:01:32] - [00:02:54] About the podcast & host 

[00:02:54] - [00:05:11] The science of warmth and competence 

[00:05:11] - [00:07:30] The warmth & competence model 

 [00:07:30] - [00:09:34] Four leadership quadrants 

[00:09:34] - [00:11:47] Why the Matrix matters for CX leaders 

[00:11:47] - [00:14:32] Real-world example: The Dolomite hotel 

[00:14:32] - [00:15:56] Leadership reflection & practical application 

 [00:15:56] - [00:19:07] Tips to grow warmth 

[00:19:07] - [00:24:43] Learning from warm leaders: Hema’s CEO 

[00:24:43] - [00:28:23] Tips to grow competence 

[00:28:23] - [00:29:50] Recap of action steps 

[00:29:50] - [00:31:19] Three universal tips for all leaders 

[00:31:19] - [00:32:48] Conclusion & invitation 

[00:32:48] - End credits 

 

Resources & links 

• Warmth–Competence research: Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick (2007); Cuddy, Kohut & Neffinger (2013) 

• Nienke wrote a blog about this topic with an interesting model, you can read it here. 

 

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. 

 

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