Why “Client-First” Capability Is Now a Leadership Imperative

What professional services firms can learn from research beyond their own sector.

I’m often found singing the praises of the Managing Partners’ Forum.

Yes, the audience leans heavily towards law and accountancy firms—but for years I’ve been making the case that their thinking is highly relevant to the built environment, and increasingly so as our sector faces many of the same structural challenges.

A recent session and accompanying research by Meridian West, conducted with Queen Mary University of London, was no exception. In fact, it was uncannily aligned with what I see every day in engineering, architecture and multidisciplinary practices—and with the challenges clients ask me to help them solve.

The End of Technical Excellence as a Differentiator

One finding stood out clearly: technical excellence alone is no longer enough.

Clients still expect it—but they no longer reward it on its own. What differentiates firms now is how well professionals:

• understand their clients’ commercial world
• communicate clearly and confidently
• build trusted, ongoing relationships
• and create value beyond the immediate commission

This shift reframes client-facing capability as a leadership skill, not a sales add-on or something reserved for a few senior individuals.

The Hidden Risk of Rainmaker Dependency

The research also reinforces a risk many firms quietly carry: over-reliance on a small number of rainmakers.

Where relationships, confidence and commercial judgement sit with a handful of individuals:

• succession becomes fragile
• future leaders struggle to see a pathway
• and clients experience inconsistency

When client capability is not embedded more broadly, both clients and talent drift—often without firms fully understanding why.

Client Exposure, Confidence and Retention Are Linked

One of the most powerful insights from the research is the direct link between:

• client exposure
• confidence and commercial thinking
• career satisfaction and retention

Professionals with regular client interaction report dramatically higher satisfaction and stronger alignment with their firm’s direction. Those without it are more likely to disengage—not because they lack ability, but because they lack context, purpose and visibility of impact 

This is not a personality issue. It is a design and development issue.

Why This Matters for the Built Environment

Although the research focuses on legal services, the parallels with the built environment are striking.

Our sector faces:

• increasing client scrutiny
• margin pressure and automation of technical work
• talent mobility and succession risk
• and growing demand for commercially grounded, relationship-led advice

The conclusion is hard to ignore: client-first capability is now a core enterprise capability, not a “soft skill” or optional extra.

Turning Insight into Action

What this research confirms – strongly – is my own purpose in this work:

To help built environment practices turn business development into a shared leadership capability, not an accidental talent.

When firms invest deliberately in client-facing confidence, commercial thinking and relationship-building:

• future leaders grow faster and with more confidence
• relationships become more resilient
• and businesses are better positioned for long-term growth

This does not happen through osmosis. It requires structure, reflection, practice and leadership attention.

If you are interested in this thinking, I would recommend:

• listening to the Managing Partners’ Forum session
• downloading the Meridian West research
• or attending one of their upcoming seminars

And if you’re exploring how these ideas translate specifically into the built environment, that is where my workshops and programmes are designed to help.