The Expertise of Experts

I've been called an expert. An expert blogger, an expert "social media" person—whatever that is. An expert in user/consumer/customer experience or "Web 2.0". If the "expert" label gets thrown my way, I don't give it much thought. It's just a label that helps people wrap their heads around something abstract to make it more concrete.  Sometimes we need to categorize in order to make sense of things.

The thing is, I'll never see myself as an expert.

You might think that's humbling. I only wish I were that humble. I'll never see myself as an expert, because once you've convinced yourself that you are one—that's the moment your ability to see the world differently begins to decline. Expert eyes know what to look for. They can also be the eyes that miss the most obvious insights which lead to the most elegant of solutions.

I've embraced Forrest Gump as one of my heroes. An expert in nothing—with expertise in several things. Someone who did more than most of us dream, because he never saw himself as an expert.

He just did things.

There really isn't a problem with having experts around. They make us feel better. But I'd rather be an expert in nothing, with expertise in something.  The next time you consult with an expert, ask them if they see themselves as one. The answers can tell you something about what they really know.

This post was inspired by a "novice".

Comments

[DevlinD]

How true this is David. This concept holds for just about any person or industry. As soon as you think you are the best and nobody can know more than you, you stop looking for innovation and expect that everything just "comes to you"...and usually the only thing that comes to is a swift kick in the butt by the person that just blazed passed you.

[Morgan Coudray]

I really liked this post because it's in line with on braoder trend.
Back in the days, experts would determine what is right and wrong. Since Wikipedia has been around, information is slowly becoming what everyone agrees on as opposed to what every expert agrees on.

[Jared M. Spool]

I agree completely.

I've been labeled an expert and a guru. Have come to disdain both terms.

People like to know they are talking to someone who has expertise or (whatever gurus have). I like to think I've picked some things up along the way, but the more I work in this field, the more I realize what I don't know.

I feel my inexpertise grows faster than my expertise.

Jared

[Chris Cavallerano]

Q (novice): What do you know?
A (expert): I know that as soon as I think I know everything I will know nothing.

[Gavin Heaton]

I outed myself as a social media charlatan a while back (certainly got some discussion going). And I love this quote from Connie Reece:
"If someone tells you they are a social media expert, run".

[Lindsey Scott]

It's nice to see that you are always looking to learn something new and searching for something new in field. No one wants to be the ultimate "expert" what fun is that?

[David Armano]

hey guys, thanks for taking the time to read this one. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm the only one feeling this way, so it's good to hear that's not the case.

Jared, I love this:

"I feel my inexpertise grows faster than my expertise"

Aint that the truth for all of us.

[bonnie Larner]

You have grown much during the last two years David Armano. As a writer. As a thinker. As an artist - which is precisely why my interest in reading Logic & Emotion has grown during the last two years.

BonnieL

Lead or
be Led
triiibe on!

[Genaro]

There's no such thing as 'Humbling Expertise' ? :)

Totally right.

[Branislav Peric]

So true!

I feel exactly the same. I am also considered that way in my agency.
People respect that and that could be flattering. But being flattered is the beginning of the end.

I am struggling to remain open-minded, avoid considering that things would remain the way they are.

[Credit Union Warrior]

Realizing that this is the most useless comment ever, I just wanted to drop a line to say "Great Post". That's all.

[Julia Tanen]

People are only gurus if someone else labels them a guru.

[Carlos Abler]

You are wise to not let the charade of "expert" sink into your self perception.

"Expert" is the mask we where so that people will listen to what the hell we have to say. It is a mask, a role, a persona. Occasionally I do find myself appealing to my expertise, as a rhetorical device to get some people to pay attention, whose attention I need. These people are usually b or c-grade players who are slow to get all fired up about much of anything, let alone their profession, and so they will never really "get" the things that we "get". But because we need to get projects done, we just need them to act as though they "get it", even if they don't. That is where some type of appeal to authority creeps into my life. I would rather just be working non-stop with an elite of highly experienced visionaries and I am fortunate to have that experience on a semi-regular basis (becoming more regular thanfully). But the bottom line is we are surrounded by more sheep than wolves and all they have been trained to do is respond the loudest barking animal in the room. And sadly, sometimes you have to sound like one of those barking animals to get them to not destroy a clients deliverable. This is one of the things that is hard about "teams".

[Clinton Skakun]

Hi David,

Hows it going! Great post, as usual.

I was thinking of this for the past few days. In fact I've had this topic on my mind for the past few years. The part about "...world differently begins to decline." once you become an expert, it's so true.

It's flattering to be called an expert, it make you feel like a big shot. The problem is, once you're an expert, you need to live up to that name.

[Paula Thornton]

While I can no longer find the reference, I had a Heisenberg quote I used in presentations past where the basic idea was that there was no such thing as an expert because an individual can only know a lot about the specific cercumstancens in which they've operated, but they cannot know how to apply what they know in every circumstance. The extension to this would be that it is highly unlikely that an individual would ever be in a situation remotely similar to a similar experience, therefore, every situation is a new learning experience -- in which an individual gains additional perspective, but that's all.

Which is why, I was very confused at a recent 'disconnect' in a conversation where I simply stated my experiences. The individual took issue with my experiences. That is something we can never do -- an individual owns their experiences. Reporting on those experiences is theirs and theirs alone. As long as I do not extrapolate my experiences to categorically state that the same experiences are likely to apply in all cases, then I am merely the expert of my own experiences -- and that's it.

[Beth Harte]

Wow! You must be psychic...or there's just to many people being thrown around as "experts" lately. ;-) We just had this conversation at the last Social Media Club (Philadelphia) meetup.

My thought was that if one becomes an 'expert' in anything, they stop learning, listening and engaging (to your point). But some folks thought that being an expert or a leader (or called either by someone else) just means that battles have been fought and stripes earned.

Above all else, when someone is passionate about what they do, it is really apparent. I'd hire or work with a passionate person over an expert any day! :)

Personally, I prefer to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Why? Because I don't ever want to be in a silo (boring for me) and because I want to hone my craft in various areas (enlightening and challenging).

Run, Forrest, run...

[Rick Wolff]

On the other hand, I'd love the luxury of being able to deflect being called an expert at something. It's kind of like trying to convince the fates that you'd be such a better steward of lottery winnings than the last guy.

[scott crawford]

Thanks.
Ever teachable is a lovely place to be.

[Charity Hisle]

In my opinion, the term "Expert" comes with a significant amount of responsibility attached. That responsibility takes all of the fun out of learning new things, experiencing new ideas, or even day-to-day job duties.

I would much rather stay within the learning process, researching and gathering unique perspectives. I can't tell you how many times someone "new" gave me better insight into a possible solution than an "expert".

GREAT post! I especially enjoy reading posts like this. You've inspired others to consider the topic presented and how it applies to them as an individual.

[Kim Krause Berg]

Totally agree! I never understand it when people label me as "expert" or "guru". I appreciate the sentiment, but in my mind, the moment I accept a title like that is the moment I no longer care to learn anymore. There's a difference between being expert and being passionate, and I love being the latter one :)

[mack collier]

You in the post, and Beth in her comments, nailed what I have been thinking about. To me, if you start calling yourself an 'expert', then IMO you are giving yourself a license to stop learning. This space and the tools we use are changing and evolving too quickly for any of us to truly be called 'experts'.

[Stephen Denny]

"An expert is a guy from another town." (Mark Twain).

I usually sub in "consultant" for "expert" whenever circumstances warrant.

[BarbaraKB]

Expert, no. Knowledgeable, yes. And there is no knowledge without continual doing *and* learning. Keep it up, David.

[Mark Smiciklas]

Nice post David - Expertise is gained through experience...experience is about lifelong learning. Continually embracing a wider view can help prevent the tunnel vision that befalls some "experts".

[Jeremy]

What always struck me about the Forrest character, in both the novel and the movie is that he never professed to be an expert, but what he did do amazingly well is pay attention, listen to what people said, and respond honestly and without judgment.

Much to be learned there.

Good call!

[Ryan Stephens]

@David

I really like this post and try to maintain this same approach with respect to most things that I work with and consider myself talented at.

I was helping a professor at Texas A&M work on some new initiatives via the web to help promote a particular division of the business department, and she called me a social media expert. I corrected her and told her that I was a social media experimenter. There's a handful of people I would consider experts (seriously, like 5-7). There's plenty of the rest of us out there that know 100x what the average person does, but we're all still learning, navigating the space and figuring out what to do next. That's why I'll always refer to myself as a social media experimenter.

Great post!

[Chris]

I wish this was not true. I am an expert on my product and it means that I cannot conceive elegant improvements or even see the problems with its implementation anymore. With knowledge comes lack of insight...

[Ryan Graves]

Self proclamations are literally worthless in my eyes. Great post!

[ipub]

All I know is that I know nothing.

[Patricia Garcia]

If I know anything its that I know nothing.

AH! I swear I wrote that before I looked up and read ipub's comment. Haha.

But I do believe somewhere someone said that true wisdom begins when you realize you know nothing. Buddha maybe?

[Dennis Breen]

Not sure about heroes, but this quote is about as close as I can come to a perfect design philosophy:
"I have no vision at all, but I know how to keep things simple, and I listen some."
- Craig Newmark