Valuing the client boils down to having an authentic ‘others-centered’ attitude. Humility.
“If a man would make his world large, he must be always making himself small…Towers that vanish upwards above the loneliest star are the creations of humility.” G.K. Chesterton
I am not talking about confidence or conviction. If you are not confident, your client will not have confidence in you.
Humility is that virtue that makes us work harder to bring our best, our full mental and emotional resources to serving the client. The person with authentic humility will not stop serving the client when threatened or feeling taken advantage of. I am not speaking of a humility that makes you doubt your objectives, but that humble attitude that may cause you to doubt your own efforts; you might ask yourself, have I given my best advice, offered my full capabilities and put the clients advancement ahead of myself?
Collins identified this in his interviews with good-to-great leaders as a compelling modesty. He described it as the two sides of Level 5 Leadership, “balancing professional will with personal humility”.