Steps to becoming the authority….
How about visiting a dentist that takes a look at your knee alongside your tooth and tells you that he can perform a knee surgery? What would your reaction be? Would you think of him as the authority on medical science or would you come out doubting your decision of trusting him with your teeth in the first place?
Regardless the ability or otherwise that the dentist has in being able to treat your knees, it definitely does not convey a great impression to you…. Reason: He is moving away from his area of “specialty”!
He is not coming across like the “expert” in the one area that you visited him for!
He is being too “general” about medicine….
It is alright to bear a “general” understanding of things… and there is place for professionals that bear some knowledge about many things! It helps ‘connect the dots’ in many cases. But to convince someone that you “specialize” in many things or are an “expert” in everything would be a hard push!
Everyone wants to trust that one person or that one group, that does the one thing that they want done, extremely well… because they have done that one thing, many times over….
You want to work with someone that specializes… someone that has gained expertise over time… and ideally, want to trust your job to the one that is a proven ‘authority’ on the subject….
So, here are the four stages:
- Generalist
- Specialist
- Expert
- Authority
You always start out with having “general” knowledge in your subject area…
To gain more respect and to make more money, “specialize”! It calls for hard work and reading and working on it for some time and learning from highly experienced people!
Then establish yourself as a good specialist… build trust…. And it takes time! It calls for greater effort! In today’s world, you will have to get people talking about you! Leverage social media, write blogs, conduct seminars…. Let everyone know that you exist… that you are good… And deliver excellent service at what ever you do every time!
Once established, keep diving deeper… keep exceeding all expectations… as you then gain the respect of your critics… as you solve some very complex problems… as you come to be known as the ‘go to person’ for the other specialists and experts… when you can coach and mentor and validate the best in your field… You become the “authority”!
All of this takes time… It calls for tremendous amount of commitment and dedication…. It is a life long pursuit of constantly investing in yourself in a very targeted manner….
It’s a journey… and it is not easy! But for those that have the nerves to undertake such a journey… it is the most fun ride…. It is the journey to stardom!
If you enjoy being the celebrity, better roll up your sleeves and get to work!
After all, it is fun to be considered the authority in your field!
