A bright light on my bruised ego

This post is part of our Weekly Tips series.

I got a pretty big hit to my ego the other day, and I’d rather not tell anyone about it, only I’m doing it anyway. In some ways this missive is all about me, though in other ways it’s really about all of us, and the ways we deal with professional disappointment. This topic matters because I don’t believe we ever achieve our full potential for success until we learn to fail well, and disappointment is failure’s close cousin. I’ve always admired others who speak about their less stellar moments with candor, clarity, and humor.

Kick convention to the curb in 2019

I’m taking the week off to enjoy a little year-end down time. I hope you are too.

I’ll be back on January 2nd, refreshed and ready to launch the fifth (!) full year of weekly tips.

In the meantime, you might find inspiration for your 2019 intentions in the Get Real manifesto poster and accompanying eBook. The manifesto captures the unconventional wisdom that my 25+ years in the consulting industry (including 12 years in partnership with Trusted Advisor Associates) have taught me transform client relationships.

How clients see your value starts with how *you* see your value

This post is part of our Weekly Tips series.

If we had a do-over for The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook, there’d be a whole chapter on how you see your value, and how your own mentality is a key driver of your clients’ proclivity to see you more consistently as a trusted advisor. For now, a weekly tip will have to suffice.

Most services professionals tie their value to their expertise. That makes sense, since most clients pay money for the expertise they need to advance a business issue.