{"id":647213,"date":"2026-09-30T11:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/blog\/post\/great-cx-leaders-learn-at-every-opportunity"},"modified":"2026-10-12T03:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:03:55","slug":"great-cx-leaders-learn-at-every-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/blog\/post\/great-cx-leaders-learn-at-every-opportunity","title":{"rendered":"Great CX leaders learn at every opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Careers in customer experience rarely follow a straight line. And the roles that shape the strongest leaders don\u2019t always come with big titles. Often, it\u2019s the experiences along the way \u2014 serving customers, solving problems and learning from others \u2014 that teach the lessons leaders carry with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebecca Mequin\u2019s journey is a case in point. Before reaching her current role as Head of Customer Experience at Ferrari, she worked across a wide range of roles and environments that offered different perspectives on people, service and leadership. Mequin sees each of those experiences as part of what made her the leader she is today.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a conversation during the \u201cWomen Leading in an AI-Driven World\u201d session at Xperience 2026 in Las Vegas, Mequin shared what that path has taught her about leadership: why leaders need to learn from the people around them, why staying attuned to customers and opportunities matters even when everything is running smoothly, and why admitting you don\u2019t have all the answers is a strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, in her own words, are six leadership lessons she\u2019s learned along the way.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

1. Find Lessons Everywhere<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

There wasn\u2019t a single person or moment that defined who I am as a leader. I was shaped by having and learning from lots of different experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

I started with gymnastics, became a coach, worked at McDonald\u2019s and as a cashier, and then worked in retail and service at a car dealership before eventually joining Ferrari. From the moment I started at gymnastics through every experience since, I\u2019ve learned something I\u2019m still using today.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve learned from basically everyone: employees, colleagues, customers and leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

That mindset became particularly important when I moved into customer experience. I came from a different background. I had worked in marketing and sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had an excellent team. They were incredibly talented and knew much more than I did about many aspects of the work. When I entered the role, I didn\u2019t even know the difference between \u201cback end\u201d and \u201cfront end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My attitude was basically: \u201cTell me what you do, because I probably need to learn from you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I discovered something else, too. My team was designing tools that would be used throughout our retail network, yet they hadn\u2019t necessarily experienced that retail environment themselves. So I sent them out into the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

They travelled to different markets to see how people actually used the tools they\u2019d designed. They could better understand whether the tools supported the processes as expected, but they also began seeing the differences between regions, countries and cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, they stay in contact with the network every day. That connection with the field is incredibly important.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

2. Innovate before you have to<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
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You don\u2019t need to intervene only when something isn\u2019t working. Sometimes you need to look more closely at what <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> working.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s one of the challenges of leadership: continuing to look for what could be better before a problem forces you to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even when everything is going well, you still need to ask where you should focus next so you\u2019re ready for what comes next. Innovation doesn\u2019t happen if everyone assumes that because something works today, there\u2019s nothing left to improve.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. As technology advances, stay human<\/h2>\n

Technology gives us new ways to work and new ways to support people. But as it becomes more capable, I think one quality becomes even more important for leaders: staying human.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s something that struck me when I joined the automotive industry. I heard directly from customers about the difference it made when someone personally became involved in solving their problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

A customer might have an issue with a car and end up speaking directly with the global head of after-sales. They knew the person\u2019s name. There was a direct connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

Technology can help us become better. It can help people remember details, maintain relationships and use our customers\u2019 time more effectively. But we shouldn\u2019t forget to stay connected with the customer. The human relationship still matters.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

4. Leadership requires unlearning, too<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the toughest things for me was actually something I had to unlearn.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I started my career, success was based on what I could personally deliver. How much could I give? Could I meet my deadlines? Did I have good ideas? Could I perform well?<\/span><\/p>\n

As my career evolved, success no longer depended only on me. It also depended on my team.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that didn\u2019t mean my team should replicate what I was doing or become copies of me. I had to start thinking about what we could accomplish using all the different talents and capabilities within the team.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was an important shift: leadership became less about what I could do myself and more about what we could do together.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m still learning and adjusting along the way. And I\u2019m relaxed about it because I understand that a mistake you make today is a mistake you won\u2019t make tomorrow. The important thing is to keep learning, stay nimble and try not to make the really big mistakes.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t let expectations define your leadership<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Earlier in my career, I worked as an after-sales manager overseeing vehicle repairs. There were certainly times when someone would look at me and wonder whether I really knew what I was doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

My approach was: I\u2019m here to do the job as well as I can, and if I don\u2019t know about your problem, I\u2019ll ask a technician. That attitude helped me stay calm, including in environments that were predominantly male.<\/span><\/p>\n

There can be a lot of discussion about women in leadership, and I support opportunities and initiatives that help women \u2014 especially younger women \u2014 become leaders. But I hope we reach the point where we don\u2019t need to specify \u201cwomen leaders\u201d anymore. What should matter is what you bring as a person.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

6. Focus on what you can give<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

When I think about power and leadership, I come back to the famous quote from Spider-Man: \u201cWith great power comes great responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I started my career answering phones at a dealership. I did many jobs that weren\u2019t considered high-level positions. I was never dreaming about having power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, in every role, I\u2019ve tried to ask myself: what can I do to make this company better? What can I do to make this programme better? What can I contribute personally to make sure the work is done well?<\/span><\/p>\n

That still shapes how I think about leadership today. It\u2019s not about having power; what\u2019s important is what you\u2019re able to do \u2014 and to give \u2014 with the power you have.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_section full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Careers in customer experience rarely follow a straight line. And the roles that shape the strongest leaders don\u2019t always come with big titles. Often, it\u2019s the experiences along the way \u2014 serving customers, solving problems and learning from others \u2014 that teach the lessons leaders carry with them. Rebecca Mequin\u2019s journey is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":643958,"template":"","tax_priority":[54],"tax_blogtype":[17761],"tax_blogcategory":[15939,15991,16070],"tax_contenttheme":[14916],"tax_bundle":[],"tax_contenttheme2":[16140],"tax_capability_sitewide":[16209,18308,16438],"tax_products_programs":[],"tax_buying_job":[16642],"tax_buyer_persona":[16881,16900],"tax_sector":[16937,16954,16997,17005,17030,17066],"tax_segment":[17096,17121,17123],"class_list":["post-647213","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tax_priority-54","tax_blogtype-genesys-executives-en-gb","tax_blogcategory-ai-and-machine-learning-en-gb","tax_blogcategory-customer-highlights-en-gb","tax_blogcategory-inside-genesys-en-gb","tax_contenttheme-grow-your-business-en-gb","tax_contenttheme2-improve-customer-experience-en-gb","tax_capability_sitewide-ai-and-automation-en-gb","tax_capability_sitewide-journey-management-en-gb","tax_capability_sitewide-wem-en-gb","tax_buying_job-job-1-problem-identification-en-gb","tax_buyer_persona-business-en-gb","tax_buyer_persona-technical-en-gb","tax_sector-financial-en-gb","tax_sector-healthcare-en-gb","tax_sector-industrial-en-gb","tax_sector-public-en-gb","tax_sector-retail-en-gb","tax_sector-technology-en-gb","tax_segment-enterprise-en-gb","tax_segment-midsized-en-gb","tax_segment-smb-en-gb","tax_content_type-blog-en-gb"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/647213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/647213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":647229,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/647213\/revisions\/647229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_priority","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_priority?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_blogtype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_blogtype?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_blogcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_blogcategory?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_contenttheme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_contenttheme?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_bundle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_bundle?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_contenttheme2","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_contenttheme2?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_capability_sitewide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_capability_sitewide?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_products_programs","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_products_programs?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_buying_job","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_buying_job?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_buyer_persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_buyer_persona?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_sector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_sector?post=647213"},{"taxonomy":"tax_segment","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_segment?post=647213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}