What Does It
Mean to Be An EXPERT™?
There’s a lot of talk these days about
Experts and Expertise. You’ll find
plenty of people claiming to be experts in nearly all areas of life. In the business world alone, you’ll discover
a plethora of experts in strategic planning, marketing, customer service,
travel, new product development, etc.
Most of these can stake a legitimate claim to this title based on their
knowledge and experiences.
Yet, a valuable expert is someone whose
claim goes far beyond what they’ve experienced and learned from many years in a
certain field, profession, or hobby.
Ideally, there should be other credentials that make their expertise of
greater value to those who need or use their services. These additional factors include:
·
Evidence of unique contributions through
their own ideas, theories, and concepts
·
An obvious affinity or passion for their
subject
·
Third party confirmation from satisfied
clients, students and/or peers in their field
·
The ability to “transfer” their expertise
into practically useful communication (writings, speaking, etc.), systems, and
products
In an effort to provide more
comprehensive guidelines for evaluating experts in any field, try using the
acronym EXPERT™. These six key areas serve as
a useful tool for comparing a wide range of experts (consultants, speakers,
expert witnesses, etc.), regardless of their particular field.
EXPERIENCE
- Real
world experience in the subject or field
-
Personal involvement in the trends, nuances, successes, failures within the
field
XPERTISE
-
Awareness of historical and current models and
theories within the area of expertise
-
Original thought and contributions within the subject or field
PASSION
-
Enthusiasm and ‘love’ of the subject or field
-
Visible energy that is intriguing, compelling, and/or contagious
EXCELLENCE
-
Dedication to expanding the body of knowledge in the field or subject
-
Commitment to personal intellectual growth and lifelong learning
RECOGNITION
-
Public recognition by clients, customers, participants , and/or peers
-
Written or published work within the field
TRANSFERABILITY
-
Ideas, Concepts, and Theories that are transferable to others
- Practical, useful Tools and Techniques
which further progress, education, growth
Whether your need for an expert ranges from helpful information by experts used in the media or your organization’s research into hiring a valuable consultant, keep the EXPERT™ acronym tool in mind as you evaluate the claims of those who call themselves experts.
© 2003 John Storm
John Storm is The Idea Expert™
whose mission is to bring Your ideas to LIFE!™ His expertise focuses on helping people
discover, evaluate and implement their ideas. You can find other resources at www.brainstormnetwork.org