The Multiple hats of a Strategic Account Manager

In one of the discussions on career coaching with a candidate looking forward to move up to an account manager, I had the opportunity to reconnect with one of the trainings that I did with the Rain Group's Strategic Account Manager group. In the PMO I managed at my previous company, I had Strategic Project Managers who were also responsible for their client accounts owning the responsibility to grow their accounts. Similarly, I had some product owners and business analysts that were responsible for improving the product and/or the platform with features competitive in the market! 

As part of the strategy, anyone associated closely with strategy is supposed to results driven but also have a relationship focus. They need to be not just strategists but also strategic executioners managing the project initiatives innovating with solutions, collaborating with various stakeholders including technical and analytical experts. The Rain Group also recognized that the strategic roles, particularly strategic account manager role, should incorporate the six roles, results driver, relationship lead, innovator, collaborator, technical expert, and project manager (Schultz, n.d.). 

I have always connected these roles not as separate individuals but the same individual being able to think from the responsibilities of all these six roles. So, when I had this candidate asking about the multiple hats one should wear, I immediately connected with deBono's (1999) six thinking hats from my scholar-practitioner experience. So, are there any reasonable insights we can draw between the scholarly suggestion and practitioner's recommendation? 

Briefly summarizing deBono's (1999) six hats, there are six hats. These hats are not meant to be associated with a specific role but to the responsibilities that one should connect with. The intent is that a person can wear more than one and either many or any hat as the situation/personality warrants. 

1. The white hat is associated with facts and so focuses on numbers closer to reality. 
2. The red hat is associated with feelings and so focuses only on emotional thinking! 
3. The green hat is more about creativity, innovation, and optimism thinking outside the box.
4. The blue hat considers processes and highlights organizational efficiency. 
5. The black hat is generally skeptical weighing conservativeness than considering risk orientation. 
6. The yellow hat is positive or optimistic and doesn't see failures as bad.

In my mind, the white, red, and green hats are focused on facts, data, insights, and patterns. I call these persona as high-tech. On the other hand, the blue, black, and yellow balance it with people, feelings, emotions, and ideas. I call these persona as high-touch. So, it is important to balance both the high-tech and high-touch and so I also have associated the practitioner roles with suggested pairings to keep the decision-making and problem-solving in balance.

Rain Group Practitioner Role	deBono Scholarly Hat
Results Driver (Decisive)	White Hat (Pair it with Consensus Yellow Hat)
Relationship Lead (Relationship)	Red Hat (Pair it up with Skeptical Black Hat)
Innovator (Innovative)	Green Hat (Pair it up with Analytical Blue Hat)
Project Manager (Analytical)	Blue Hat  (Pair it up with Innovative Green Hat)
Technical Expert (Skeptical)	Black Hat (Pair it up with Relationship Red)
Collaborator (Consensus)	Yellow Hat (Pair it up with Decisive White)

What are your thoughts? Would you see them differently? If so, how?

References

De Bono, E. (1999) Six Thinking Hats, Back Bay Books, New York 

Schultz, M. (n.d.). 6 Strategic  Account Management Roles every company needs to know about.  https://www.rainsalestraining.com/blog/6-account-management-roles