Walk the Walk

Standards of Professionalism are often set by governing bodies in each field – like the AICPA or the American Bar Association. More generally, professionalism is when you choose to consistently conduct yourself with your clients and colleagues with the highest possible character, ethics, spirit, and methods. It’s when your real-world actions are fully aligned with what you espouse as your true values.

When you’re entrusted with giving business leaders mission critical advice, we believe there’s a common set of behaviors that equal professionalism regardless of profession. And, back in 2006 we launched the Client Advisor Awards to showcase firms which consistently displayed those behaviors. It turns out that a great outcome between client and advisor is also highly dependent on the CLIENT’s professionalism. So, the Client Advisor Awards program honors clients as well as advisors. What if a client chose to be a “world class client” or a “client of choice?” We’ve all had difficult clients from time to time and they simply don’t get out best work – what would happen if client professionalism became a matter of importance? Clients would get far more value from their professional services firm engagements.

We’ve outlined five behaviors that make a difference on both sides of the table:

1. Capability – successful professional services providers will consistently maintain and demonstrate their subject matter expertise and capabilities at the highest levels of their profession. Successful client nominees appropriately staff engagements with client-side personnel who meet their obligations to client-advisor projects to ensure successful deliverables.

2. Content and Value-orientation – successful professional services providers will consistently demonstrate thought leadership on behalf of their clients. Successful client nominees look beyond fees and pricing of professional service firms to the total value provided.

3. Collaboration – Successful professional services providers will consistently demonstrate a team-oriented approach to their client and colleague relationships. Successful client nominees operate as if the professional service advisor is a virtual part of their organization while, at the same time, respecting all legal and ethical boundaries.

4. Creativity – successful professional services providers will consistently demonstrate innovative approaches to solving client problems and to growing the client-advisor relationship. Successful clients consistently encourage their providers to provide innovative approaches to solving client problems and to growing the client-advisor relationship.

5. Credibility – successful professional services providers will consistently demonstrate Integrity and the ability to build and sustain trust at the highest levels of their client-base. Successful client nominees consistently manage professional service firm relationships in a forthright, high-integrity, intelligent and humane manner.

Last year, we had a blockbuster speaker – Paul Voss – Managing Partner of Ethikos and Georgia State professor who spoke about ethics in the relationship between clients and their advisors. This year our key note speaker is Alan Deutschman – Alan is a business journalist and a regular contributor to publications such as Fortune Magazine, Fast Company and Vanity Fair. Check out www.alandeutschman.com He’s the author of three best-selling business books including one of my favorites – Change or Die – how’s that for a direct title? And, his fourth book, Walk the Walk, is due out this Fall and is about the number 1 rule that leaders need to know to be truly effective. He’s going to talk at the Client Advisor Awards about where leadership and professional services intersect. If you want to know what the rule is, join us for the event.