Becoming An Expert

Lifehack is one of my favorite blogs (of course this blog and LawMapping are my absolute favorites ♥).  A post that I recently rediscovered about becoming an “expert” is a great example of why I find Lifehack both interesting and entertaining.

In How to Be an Expert (and Find One if You’re Not), Dustin Wax explores how he came to be considered the “to go” person on a particular topic and gives great information about how others can achieve “expert status” for themselves.

This is a particularly good (and important) article for service professionals because being known as an “expert” on your topic and “go to” person in your niche is a fantastic way to accelerate your career trajectory and increase your business profitability.  In fact, being recognized as an expert often leads to increased business opportunities, speaking engagements and powerful networking opportunities.

Below are the highlights from Dustin’s post:

• You must be a perpetual learner.   It is important that you are committed to staying current and well-read on your topic of choice.   This includes reading books, magazines, blogs; attending workshops, conferences; and interacting with other experts on your topic of choice.
• Networking is key.  It is also important to have a mentor in your area of interest when possible.  When networking, make sure that you maximize opportunities to make real connections with people.  To maximize your  “networking” opportunities, always ask the person(s) with whom you are speaking about their business challenges, really listen to their response(s), add value to the conversation, then either (i) show the person(s) how you have helped others in similar circumstances or (2) make referrals if you cannot help whenever possible.   After an event is over, stay in touch!   Powerful business relationships develop from the follow-up! At UpwardAction, we use SendOutCards.com to keep in touch with clients, prospective clients and other professionals.
  
• Make sure your work reflects your professionalism and expertise (e.g, if you are a WordPress expert, you need to have a spiffy WordPress site!)
• Develop powerful presentation skills so you can deliver information in your area of expertise with confidence.
• Share your knowledge freely and liberally, without conditions.  Remember, in business and life,  you must give in order to receive.

UpwardAction Coaching Exercise:

Use the following steps to jumpstart the UpwardAction that you need to become an expert on your topic and “go to” person in your niche.

1.  Determine what three topics are most important to the success of your ideal client(s).

2.   Determine which of the topics identified in Step 1 you are most interested in becoming completely immersed in information?   If you are not really interested in any of the topics listed, go back to Step 1 and start over.   It is critical that you are interested in your chosen topic, as you will be spending a lot of time developing a deep level of knowledge.

3.  Once you have a topic, make a list of the current authorities on your topic and read everything they’ve written.  You’ll also want to hear the “masters” on your topic present their information whenever you can.

4.   Identify opporunities to share your knowlege on your topic (always giving credit to ideas borrowed from other “experts”) by writing or speaking.

5.    Get into UpwardAction by exploring the opportunities listed in Step 4.

If you need help clarifying where you are versus where want to be,  let me know!  We can certainly develop a plan to get you into UpwardAction and expert status.

Remember …. You’ve Got to Give to Receive!

Coach T.C.

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