I’ve been noticing something recently. And Thanksgiving seems the appropriate time to mention it and express gratitude for it.

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I talk to independent consultants every day.

People who have taken the unlikely path outside the corporate scaffolding to try to build something on their own.

There’s determination, yes. But no guarantee of success.

There’s desire, sure. But new sets of risks as well.

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So when you think of someone who might willingly sign up for such a challenge, you might conjure up an image of some hotshot entrepreneur.

Or a hyper-confident smooth talker.

Or a grandiose personality.

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But day-to-day, that’s not who I’ve met.

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Instead, who typically pops up on the other side of my Zoom calls is someone a bit more vulnerable.

Someone who’s open about the fact that they don’t have it all figured out.

Who shares freely about what’s worked and what hasn’t as a business owner.

Who invites others’ perspectives for help, and offers theirs back in return.

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Someone who cares less about extracting every last dollar during a sales transaction.

And rather, stands resolute that lending out their uniquely acquired expertise can truly benefit others, in exchange for a fair fee.

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Consultants get a bad rap as some fluffy, ivory-tower, outcome-agnostic jet set.

And maybe that’s true, in pockets, perhaps with the bigger players.

But independents, I find, hold themselves to an intrinsically high bar.

Taking their invite into a client’s world as a privilege.

And being vigilant about unlocking the value they promised to find.

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At the root of all of this, I believe, is an unspoken leveraging of humility as a core connector.

Deep curiosity as a core competency.

Deep selflessness as a core strength.

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And I think these are the core distinctions between a preachy thought leader and a trusted thought partner.

Between a high-reach influencer and a high-value consultant.

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And with that, I’ll simply say, thank you.

For taking the harder road with quiet confidence.

I’m glad to be on this unlikely path together.

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See you Monday. 🙏

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💡

-Wes