Hi Michelle, the more I think about it the more I believe that changing those perceptions begins with us. Our starting point is recognising our value and our entitlement to be paid a reasonable fee for our work and then projecting that into the world.

Often doing that is counter-intuitive because it may involve turning away work we could use because the client isn’t comfortable charging a fee that represents the value we add. It requires that we draw a metaphorical line in the sand and develop the discipline to stick with that.

It may also mean that we have to up our game and do better work to justify the value we add.

Whatever we do, I believe this is a case of us setting the right tone first and looking to external bodies to support us.