What does it mean to lead with trust and transform an organisation for the future? In this episode of Sales Leader Secrets, Amanda Downs chats to Anne Unsworth, Head of Retail Operations at Dee Set: Complete Retail Solutions, master practitioner of NLP, and a passionate champion of people in commercial teams.
Anne’s journey is a lesson in resilience and curiosity. From building her career at Master Foods (Mars), through two decades at Tactical Solutions supporting iconic brands in retail, to leading ESG strategy and championing diversity, her approach is founded on integrity, transparency, and the belief that people are at the heart of every successful business.
If you’re interested in leading sustainable change and tapping into the power of communication, make sure you tune in.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Anne’s career journey from hospitality to field marketing
02:09 What is field marketing in retail?
03:17 Leading ESG: sustainability and social responsibility
05:10 Focusing on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
06:52 Anne’s first management role and building relationships
07:32 How team meetings shaped her approach to leadership
08:45 Learning every day in ESG
12:39 The core leadership values: trust, transparency, and integrity
13:58 How personal adversity shaped Anne’s leadership journey
16:42 Discovering NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and its impact
17:51 Why the language we use matters in sales and leadership
22:11 Training Tactical teams in NLP for confidence and communication
23:31 Building team resilience and delivering change projects
25:43 Advice for sales leaders: be authentic, encourage debate
27:25 Anne’s sales leader's secret.
Join us each month for the Uspire webinar series “Become a Better Leader” and get valuable leadership frameworks and techniques to help you achieve sustainable growth that lasts. https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/
About Amanda Downs:
Amanda Downs is Uspire's Director of Commercial Leadership and a commercial training and coaching expert. She has worked extensively in Europe, EMEA, the US, and Asia and is an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. She also leads Uspire's commercial leadership proposition.
She produces the popular Sales Growth Expert blog and is currently writing her first sales leadership book.
Connect with Amanda:
Website: theuspiregroup.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/
About The Uspire Partnership:
Uspire challenge, energise and upskill leaders to set the stage for business transformation and commercial success. Members of the Uspire team are all industry professionals and have first-hand experience of the commercial challenges you face. We develop leadership skills and commercial capabilities; delivering profitable growth and a sustainable legacy of change.
Connect with Uspire:
Website: theuspiregroup.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/
About Anne Unsworth:
With 25 years in the Grocery Retail industry, I have built a successful career in account and field performance management. Working with some of the UK’s biggest retailers and brands.
I’ve also led large-scale change management projects within company operations and sales teams using NLP to drive success.
Always passionate about personal and professional growth, I made the most of my commuting time during Covid-19 to dive into NLP, becoming a certified NLP, TLT® & Hypnosis Practitioner in 2019, a Master Practitioner in 2021, and NLP Trainer that same year.
I am the founder and director of Clear Path Success, delivering NLP training to companies in the FMCG sector and beyond.
Outside of work, I’m a devoted mother and wife, a keen runner, and an enthusiastic traveller, always looking for my next adventure.
My advice to you all is Trust Your Unconscious mind and seize every opportunity.
Connect with Anne:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-unsworth-3474992/
Produced by Winter Audio
