When I am coaching experts (speakers, seminar leaders, authors, coaches, on-line marketers) I sometimes have to stop and remind them they ARE an expert. It seems obvious to me, but not always to them.
What about you? Do you doubt you are worthy to teach others?
According the dictionary, being an “expert” means “having or showing special skill or knowledge because of what you have been taught or what you have experienced”
That’s you, right? You have certain skills, insights, experience and knowledge we can all learn from.
This is important. You need to know you have what you need RIGHT NOW to serve and help others.
That is how you establish your value.
HOW IT WORKS
“Understand you don’t need a Ph.D or to drag your butt up Everest to be an expert.” Tweet this out!
YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
1. Understand you don’t need a Ph.D or to drag your butt up Everest to be an expert. What you DO need is a way to help people get from where they are today to where they want to be tomorrow. That’s it. It’s pretty simple: if they hear you on stage, get coached by you, or read your book they are closer to their goal. You can do that, right?
BUILD A MODEL
2. Your expertise is always more valuable when delivered in a proprietary (you created it, you own it) model or framework. Think of “Seven habits of highly effective people” as a framework, and Covey’s “urgent and important” quadrant as a model. A framework glues a process you teach into one big lesson (like Dan Buettner’s “Nine healthy habits to live longer“). A model helps to explain a concept by using a construct (like a diagram, illustration, list, etc.).
EXPERTISE IS A MUSCLE
3. Expertise is like a muscle; the more you use it and train it, the stronger and more valuable it becomes. Conversely, leave it alone and it atrophies. Everyday you need to invest in your expertise by reading articles and blogs, listening to podcasts, and learning from other experts.
If you are reading this, my guess is you are an expert. Of course, more is always possible, but that’s not the problem. You will learn more, get more skills, build your client list, and earn more over time. You will.
In the meantime, you need know you are an expert, build your frameworks and models, and exercise your expertise muscles by everyday helping someone get closer to their goals. That’s what experts do.
It could be marriage counselling, sales, leadership, or personal finance, but everyone needs help from experts.
It might as well be you.
