Professional services firms are built on expertise.
That’s what clients buy and what careers are built around.
But the world around that expertise is changing fast.
AI is reshaping what can be automated.
Clients are redefining what they value — speed, insight, partnership, not just accuracy.
And new generations are challenging what good leadership and healthy cultures look like.
Firms that rely only on the models that made them successful won’t stay ahead.
They need to look at their work — and the market — with fresh eyes.
What gets in the way
Most professionals don’t set out to resist change.
They’re simply used to solving problems through the same lens they’ve always used.
When a client brings a brief, the focus goes straight to the technical challenge — not the context, the unspoken need, or the opportunity behind it.
Teams move quickly to delivery because that’s how the system is designed — efficiency is rewarded, not exploration.
Over time, those habits harden into assumptions:
- We know what our clients value.
- We know why they choose us.
- We know the best way to deliver the work.
Those assumptions might have been right once.
But the market has moved.
What HR and L&D can do
Fresh thinking doesn’t mean adding more meetings or running “innovation sessions.”
It means helping leaders step back from what they think they know and notice where those assumptions might be getting in the way.
A few practical ways to start:
- Make reflection part of the work.
Encourage leaders to pause and ask:
– What do we assume our clients want?
– What might they value more now?
– What are we not seeing because we’re too close to it?
Short, structured questions like these build the muscle for curiosity.
- Broaden the conversation.
Involve people outside the immediate team — those who see the work differently: juniors, operations, client teams, or even external voices.
They spot what the experts can’t. - Link learning to relevance.
When HR frames reflection and challenge as a way to stay relevant in a shifting market — not as “innovation” — it lands better with technically driven leaders. - Keep it small and regular.
Fresh thinking doesn’t come from away days.
It comes from ongoing habits of noticing, questioning, and adjusting.
The HR lens
This is where HR can have real influence.
Not by pushing creativity, but by helping leaders look again at how they create value.
Firms that can challenge their own mental models — how they price, deliver, and build relationships — are the ones that will grow in the next decade.
Those that can’t will end up optimising for a version of the market that no longer exists.
Fresh thinking isn’t a nice-to-have.
It’s how expertise stays relevant.
If this resonated…
If this resonates, you might be interested in my Fresh Thinking in Professional Services program — designed to help leaders and teams challenge assumptions, build curiosity, and adapt how they apply their expertise in a changing market.
You might also like my Leading Change or Technical to Executive programs.
Email me or book a call to discuss what’s right for your firm.
