I recently celebrated one year of starting my independent consulting business, People Strategies Hawaiʻi, LLC. Making the decision to go out on my own was admittedly a very difficult and intimidating one, because in my experience, “consultants” were always touted as these wise, revered, well-seasoned experts who would emit their philosophies to mere mortals from on high. First, did I even want to be seen in that vein? But to be credible in consulting at all, would my five years or so in the organizational development (OD) count as expertise?

Now that it’s been a year, the most validating lesson I’ve learned is this: that more important to clients than any sort of sage advice or dogma I might have imparted, was who I was as a person and how I showed up with and for them.

The people and organizations I work with come to me because they have a problem. And either they’ve identified it — new managers who need training in people skills — or they really have no idea what it is, they just know that something isn’t working right. It’s in that very first interaction with them, that first coffee meeting, that first discussion, where they determine whether I can be someone they trust to help them explore and uncover those problems and potentially come alongside them to help find solutions, or whether they feel compelled to turn and run in the other direction.

So how I show up matters. Deep inside, am I someone who embodies the values and principles I profess to in my work? In OD, we talk about the importance of listening, building trust, having tough conversations, being collaborative, fostering inclusivity. Am I all of those things with my spouse? With my children? My family? Friends? My professional network? I cannot preach these things at work but be a different person at home or in other settings. So first and foremost, my very ʻano, as we say in Hawaiian, my essence and human nature has got to be centered and aligned to all of the values I proclaim.

From there, the experience, the lessons learned, the guidance — yes. All those things matter, and I wouldn’t still be here one year later if I couldn’t pull on those things. The ability to connect dots and relate experiences matters quite a bit, especially for organizations who are looking to me to help them find some answers. In my case, five years of OD work was short, but what it entailed was helping a 100+ year organization transform its organizational culture through careful and intentional change management processes, infused with an understanding of Hawaiian values, local culture and politics, and the ability to help people believe in a higher purpose through the chaos. It also entailed serving as a business partner alongside corporate business functions within one of Hawaiʻi’s largest commercial banks. And this built upon my years of community engagement work, and a foundation of believing in the power of both individual and systemic change. So while short, what I had to offer was not without a strong understanding of this work.

A friend of mine, who is also an independent consultant and who I have quickly come to know in this last year, recently took me to coffee. I had shared a funny meme with her (#consultanthumor) that no one else would probably get but us. She invited me to coffee to surprise me with a mug that she had gotten customized, ordered, and shipped here just for me with the meme on it. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. As we talked, we shared ideas, opportunities, and visions with each other and the things we wanted to see happen in our community. That. That right there. The spirit of generosity, of giving without expectation in return. Of thinking of others, of wanting to share and work together — not for any individual gain, but for the greater good. That is what makes her a top-notch consultant. Her ʻano aligns to the work she does. And that is what I strive and hope to do daily.