Every December when we are spending time being grateful for our families, friends and business associates, I also contemplate in what ways might I provide more meaningful value to our clients and associates. After diving into this question, I want to put forth three ideas that I have been working on.

In 2012 and beyond, what does a successful business relationship look like? We are long past the days of sitting back and just letting the phone ring. We have to be more engaged with our clients on a one-on-one basis. We need to be directly involved, up front, in the planning phases of their projects. We need to cherish this trusted-advisor position as this where we do our most creative work—and have the most fun. Operating further upstream in our client’s workflow, and not just responding to their requests, is where we need to be in the future.

Complementarily, how might our world look if we change our view of our competitors by replacing strict competition with collaboration and innovation? Collaboration with teaming partners, clients, community groups and even our more traditional competitors could be a new way to solve some of our more complex problems. And for innovation, if we are more creative and inventive, our clients will perceive us differently, as valued trusted advisors, and not as providers of a commodity. This is a place where we can succeed.

And finally, borrowing the “leading from any chair” concept from The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, provides a whole new definition of leadership. Leading from any chair means simply that you can make a profound difference in any organization based upon what you say and do. You can offer a different and independent perspective anywhere you sit in the organization chart.