I just came out of a design meeting for a new $45 million dollar college building. One of the consultants was a cost estimator who I had worked with at my previous company, so I was quite happy to see them in the room.
We had worked together on some small tenant improvements and they were always detailed, responsive, and professional. When I scheduled a project, they were honest about their capacity, and even if our deadlines got moved by the client, they made sure I still had something presentable.
I would naturally catch some oversights and disagreements during early drafts, but the comments were always minor. They carefully thought through every item and were always prepared with clear explanations whenever I challenged their conclusions. In short, I loved working with them.
Now that I realize that this whole time they’ve also been working on other projects with a bunch of extra zeros, and my esteem only goes up further. At the old gig, my jobs were small but they were the most important thing in my world, and I never doubted it was the same for them. For one’s sanity, any good professional will be forced to prioritize their tasks, but having done so you can’t forget that each client has hired you to deal with their top priority.
It can’t be an easy juggling act, but when you can make the little guy as happy as the big boys, you are indeed a true professional.