#022 A Conversation about Race in KAM, with Sharon Amesu

When was the last time you had a conversation about racism?

Perhaps, like so many, these conversations are triggered within your circles, by high-profile cases of injustice in the media or by your own personal experiences on the receiving end of overt or covert prejudice.

Or perhaps… like so many, you have NEVER had a conversation, within your circles, about racism. What about at work, in your business, with your team, or with your customers?

This episode is a conversation about race in KAM. And where KAM is all about effectiveness, I really wanted to explore this important subject that can consciously or unconsciously impair your ability to maximise the success and growth of your most important customers.

With diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism high on the agenda in the business world, I think it is so important that we have these conversations.

My wish is that, by listening to this episode, it will spark a conversation within your business, and with your team and that the learning, the growth, and the empathy continues.

We venture into a discussion that includes:

• talking about our own experiences of race in the workplace (including the privilege I acknowledge as a white male in business)   
• exploring how bias may show up in the engagements with customers and business partners     
• discussing the role of an ‘ally’ and how getting comfortable with the uncomfortable conversations can create truly empathetic relationships

How are you going to continue the conversation and who with? I wonder what your experiences have been, whether on the receiving end of prejudice or from a place of privilege.

Has race or racism ever impaired your effectiveness with your key accounts?

Understanding the context and communities we are sitting in, day to day, week to week, month to month is key to empowering our teams to maximise relationships

What awareness do you have of your own biases and how can you raise that awareness when interacting with others?

How much attention do you pay to the evolution of language and are you running the risk of using outdated terminology that could offend your contacts and peers?

With understanding being a key driver for KAM relationships - how does this conversation about race help us understand each other and ourselves better to maximise the relationships with key customers? 

I’d like to thank you for listening to this episode today and, in doing so, taking part in this important conversation. If you have something you’d like to share or throw into the conversation, please do get in touch.

In each episode, we ask you, our listener, a killer question that is designed to get you reflecting on your business, your KAM Culture, and where changes in thinking and behaviour could lead to increased customer success.

In this episode I asked Sharon to give us her killer question which was:

“How much better would your account management be if you were to work intentionally on the

biases that might impact your decision making?”

And…how will you go about doing that? Wow. The challenge has been laid folks.

Sharon is an award-winning leadership consultant and professional speaker. After 16 years as a Criminal Barrister with a successful UK practice, today Sharon runs a consultancy business which supports organisations with leadership development, specialising in diversity and inclusion programmes. Sharon is invited to speak to national and international audiences around the world on Women in Leadership and Inclusive Leadership.

Sharon is a Founding Fellow of the Society of Leadership Fellows, an Honorary Industry Fellow of the University of Salford Business, a member of the Northwest Business Leadership Team and sits on the Board of The Hallé Orchestra. 

 You can find out more about her on her website, connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.

You can also watch her TEDx talk “Why we should all think like an Ancestor”.