One of the lessons I've learned about being an expert is that there will always be lessons to learn about being an expert.
By now we've probably all had the chance to learn that a Masters degree in any subject is far from the equivalent of mastering that subject. In terms of acquiring expertise, education is certainly no means to an end simply because there is no end to expertise. Even if you are considered the top individual in your field by your peers, there really is no definitive top. We can go further. We can learn more. We can become better.
A noted professor at Harvard Business School named Rosabeth Moss Kanter encapsulated the essence of expertise perfectly when she said: "Leaders are more powerful role models when they learn than when they teach."
This quote isn't just about demonstrating to those people who might look up to you as a role model the importance of behaviors like listening and virtues like humility. Looked at from a slightly different angle, Kanter's wisdom can be taken as a tip to the beginners out there that the greatest experts are not the ones who are always at the podium speaking in the spotlight, but are more often the ones sitting somewhere obscure in the audience and taking in what someone else is saying about their field of expertise or even about an entirely different field. Being an expert essentially comes down to being a student for life, of life.
If there are three reminders that entreQuest could divulge as you look towards honing your expertise, we'd recommend the following:
1. Study those you consider experts. Learn from them and their ways.
2. Become a role model by being inspired by those who consider you such.
3. Reward the community that has made you an expert by giving others opportunities to experience your expertise.
This final tip can be completed by writing up case studies of your work, producing informative materials on your area of knowledge, providing mentoring to those who have a need and an interest, and most importantly by delivering to your business, your colleagues, and your clients what entreQuest simply defines as "a remarkable client experience."
Joe Mechlinski is the President of entreQuest and has partnered with countless leaders to effectively improve their team’s performance, their clients’ experience, and their company’s profits.
