In this episode of Becoming Radical, host Michael Gaizutis sits down with Annette Franz, CEO of CX Journey and author of Built to Win, to unpack how customer experience (CX), leadership alignment, and culture shape business success.

With over 30 years of expertise, Annette offers hard-earned insights on why real transformation starts with employees, how to build customer-obsessed cultures, and the crucial—often overlooked—role of listening.

Annette draws on lessons from corporate life, entrepreneurship, and her early career roots at J.D. Power to reveal how disconnected leadership, poor culture, and a fixation on products derail growth. She shares how businesses can reframe their approach, emphasizing empathy, alignment, and the foundational human connections that tech can never replace.

From employee listening tours to hyper-personalized customer experiences, this conversation explores the practical steps leaders can take to embed CX into the DNA of their organizations. It’s a masterclass on transforming culture not as a project—but as a way of life.

 Key Takeaways  

•  Culture Drives Experience: Employee experience fuels customer experience. Transformation starts inside the business, not at the surface level.

•  You Can’t Transform What You Don’t Understand: Organizations must assess their current state honestly before making changes. Guesswork leads to wasted effort.

•  Tech Is a Tool, Not the Answer: Automation can streamline transactions, but human connection remains irreplaceable for building meaningful relationships.

•  Leadership Alignment Is Non-Negotiable: Disconnected leaders or half-hearted buy-in will sabotage any transformation effort.

•  Personalization Starts with Personas: Customer personas and journey maps are essential for crafting experiences that resonate—and too many companies get them wrong

•  Listen to Employees, Stay Interviews Over Exit Interviews: Employees hold invaluable insights into operational gaps and customer frustrations—leaders must create space to hear them.

•  Be the Leader You Want to Have: Annette’s personal leadership mantra, shaped by her early career, focuses on leading with care, connection, and integrity.

In This Episode  

• [00:00:02] Introduction and guest welcome

• [00:05:29] Early signs of cultural misalignment

• [00:07:25] Shifting from product-obsessed to customer-obsessed

• [00:15:51] Role of personas and journey mapping

• [00:20:29] The power of caring leadership

• [00:29:59] Closing and contact information

Our Guest

Annette Franz is the founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., an influential voice in customer experience transformation, and author of Built to Win. With over three decades of experience, she helps organizations embed customer-centric cultures that drive loyalty, growth, and meaningful business change.

Notable Quotes  

• [00:04:36] “You can’t transform something you don’t understand.” — Annette Franz

• [00:05:29] “You have to take the time to understand what's happening today and keep the things that are going well and fix the things that aren't.” — Annette Franz

• [00:06:20] “You get the culture that leaders design or the ones that they allow.” — Annette Franz

• [00:07:54] “Find products for your customers, not customers for your products.” — Annette Franz (quoting Seth Godin)

• [00:13:41] “Quick wins are huge because you want to keep showing that stuff is happening… that we're making an impact.” — Annette Franz

• [00:17:56] “The more technologically advanced brands become, the more people want that human interaction.” — Annette Franz

• [00:25:33] “Be the leader you want to have.” — Annette Franz

Resources and Links

Annette Franz

• LinkedIn

• Website

• CX Journey Website

• Book: Built to Win by Annette Franz

Michael Gaizutis

• LinkedIn

• Website

Becoming Radical 

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Facebook 

• Twitter

Mentioned 

• Purple Cow by Seth Godin

• Everybody Matters" by Bob Chapman