Leadership instincts can drive success, but experience can become a trap when it keeps you from adapting, listening and changing course.In this episode of Confessions of a CX Executive, I sit down with operations leader and competitive pool player April Erfman to explore an unlikely connection: what performing under pressure at a pool table can teach us about leading when the stakes are high.And no, this isn't really an episode about pool.It's about what happens when the plan doesn't work.April makes the case that instinct gets better through preparation and experience, but instinct alone isn't enough. High performers practice before the pressure arrives. They read the room. They pause when they don't have the answer. They recognize when they're out of position and adjust rather than forcing the original plan.We also get into something experienced leaders don't always like admitting:You don't know everything. And you're not supposed to.That becomes even more important when things go wrong.Different table. Same game.Great strategy doesn’t mean much if it never makes it out of the meeting. I help CX leaders turn the plan into results.If yours is stuck somewhere between strategy and execution, let’s talk. Connect with me on LinkedIn or visit https://www.cxgrowthstrategies.com/work-with-me#Leadership #HighPerformance #ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessStrategy #Performance #CustomerExperience

Confessions of a CX Executive, Episode 5

In this episode of Confessions of a CX Executive, JP Dumas speaks with Jim Iyoob, President of ETS Labs and Chief Revenue Officer at Etech Global Services. Jim is a customer experience and AI executive with over 35 years in contact center operations, known for turning failed AI investments into measurable business outcomes and building QEval, a quality management platform used across the industry.

Tune in to the episode to hear about:

* Jim's five-level AI maturity ladder, and why he says 90% of companies stall out before ever reaching the top

* Why do so many AI rollouts get built by people who have never taken a single customer call?

* How one client's CSAT recovery jumped from 59% to 80% in six months after Jim's team rebuilt their model around real customer context instead of scripted word matching

* What's the real reason companies fix the agent but keep ignoring the actual customer journey?

* Jim's next build, a Vision Model planning to launch in summer 2026, closes the loop by verifying agents actually deliver on what they promised the customer

Learn more about Jim Iyoob:

* Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimiyoob

* Follow Jim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jim_iyoob

* Find Jim’s books here: https://us.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F9YYT685/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=de2dbc4c-09cb-4127-8cb5-c3b7c6578f47

* Visit Etech Global Services: https://www.etechgs.com

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About Confessions of a CX Executive: Hosted by JP Dumas, this is where real talk meets real results. Through unfiltered conversations with CX and business leaders, the channel explores customer retention, operational execution, revenue growth, leadership, and the pressure behind performance. Part growth playbook, part leadership confessional, Confessions of a CX Executive dives into the decisions, mistakes, friction points, and business challenges that never show up on dashboards, quarterly reports, or conference stages.

* Subscribe to Confessions of a CX Executive video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@confessionsofacxexecutive

* Follow Confessions of a CX Executive account on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Confessionsofacxexec

Connect with JP Dumas:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpdumas1

* Book a discovery call: https://calendly.com/jpdumas23/30-minute-discovery-call-meeting?month=2026-05

Learn more about CX & Growth Strategies:

* Website: https://www.cxgrowthstrategies.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cx-growth-strategies-llc

Confessions of a CX Executive, Episode 4

In this episode of Confessions of a CX Executive, JP Dumas speaks with Noam Blit, Director, Solutions and Customer Enablement at ID TECH. Noam is a product and commercial leader with deep experience scaling EV charging and SaaS businesses, known for turning real-world charging and adoption pain points into scalable, customer-driven solutions. His work spans payment integrations, national certification efforts, and product launches across the EV charging ecosystem, built on a mindset that ties customer trust to strong commercial outcomes.

Tune in to the episode to hear about:

* Why the industry reports 95–99% network uptime, but real-world data puts first-time charging success at just 71%

* Is EV charging really a technology problem, or is it a systems problem nobody owns?

* Noam owns three EVs and says his brakes still look brand new at 102,000 miles thanks to home charging and one-pedal driving

* What would it take to build EV charging trust the way drivers already trust a gas station?

* Noam's blueprint for fixing adoption starts with one shared definition of success, measured from the driver's seat

Learn more about Noam Blit:

* Connect with Noam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noamblit

* Book a call with Noam: https://flow.page/noamblit

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About Confessions of a CX Executive: Hosted by JP Dumas, this is where real talk meets real results. Through unfiltered conversations with CX and business leaders, the channel explores customer retention, operational execution, revenue growth, leadership, and the pressure behind performance. Part growth playbook, part leadership confessional, Confessions of a CX Executive dives into the decisions, mistakes, friction points, and business challenges that never show up on dashboards, quarterly reports, or conference stages.

* Subscribe to Confessions of a CX Executive video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@confessionsofacxexecutive

* Follow Confessions of a CX Executive account on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Confessionsofacxexec/

Connect with JP Dumas:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpdumas1/

* Book a discovery call: https://calendly.com/jpdumas23/30-minute-discovery-call-meeting?month=2026-05

Learn more about CX & Growth Strategies:

* Website: https://www.cxgrowthstrategies.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cx-growth-strategies-llc