The future of CX (customer experience) depends on more than algorithms and automation. It depends on humans, humans led by Ethical Service Leaders who choose dignity over speed.  

Corporate Australia knows customer experience is critical. The latest CPM Australia survey reveals that consumers are crystal clear about what matters: accurate information (91%), knowledgeable and courteous staff (84% and 76%, respectively), and consistent service across both digital and human channels.  

Negative experiences are brutal: 94% of consumers stopped purchasing from a company after poor service.   

PM Australia (2025) The state of customer experience in Australia report, 9th ed. CPM Australia. 

And yet, the national conversation among big consulting firms is dominated by digitalisation. PwC’s 2025 Trends paper talks of AI chatbots, hyper-personalisation, convenience at scale, and “next-level self-service”  

PwC Australia (2025) The 2025 trends set to shake up the Australian service industry. PwC. Available at: https://www.pwc.com/au 

These are valuable, but they risk overshadowing what Australians truly crave: ethical, human leadership in service. 

Where is the national agenda for civility? Where is the focus on leaders who embody decency, grace, and presence? 

Without Ethical Service Leadership, the CX conversation risks becoming one-eyed: efficient but soulless, fast but forgettable. 

It’s time to Call Upon Ethical Service Leaders, those who train emerging leaders and embed a system of courtesy and appropriateness in the workplace, to ensure that both in companies and in conversations, we are treated as humans. 

What Is an Ethical Service Leader? 

An Ethical Service Leader is someone who: 

• Embodies civility, practising respect, attentiveness, and care in every interaction. 

• Serves beyond self-interest; replacing “What’s in it for me?” with “What’s in it for us?” 

• Balances head and heart; bringing clarity and discipline while showing compassion and humanity. 

• Creates connection, seeing the human before the role, elevating everyday encounters into moments of meaning. 

• Models’ accountability; giving credit publicly, apologising quickly, and holding themselves to consistent standards. 

• Protects the commons; guarding shared spaces, values and culture, ensuring service strengthens rather than erodes community. 

• Leads with presence, carrying their personal frequency with care, using attention as their currency, and embodying professional grace. 

Ethical service leaders are stewards of humanity. 

If we fail to identify, shape and elevate these leaders now, we risk designing a world where service is efficient but empty. But if we get it right? We create businesses people remember, cultures people admire, and moments that make us feel more human, not less. The choice is ours.