EMPOWERMENT FIRST

People hire consultants because they sense that they need help in an area that lacks expertise. At times, this will lead to an unhealthy form of client dependency (i.e., a client becomes overly dependent upon the services of a consultant). Although this produces steady business for a consultant, I don’t believe that dependency should be one of the primary outcomes of client engagement.

I believe that empowering the client to make informed decisions by educating them on best practices and viable options is far more effective than simply telling them what to do. I will always choose long-term organizational health over quick fixes without proper understanding. Placing the client’s interest over my need to retain them is important to me. A retainer relationship is a great by-product of my work, but it’s a terrible goal.