
Why it is great to be the beginner (Happy school-year!)
“I have worked 20 years as an *insert any profession or field*. I have gained a lot of expertise on that field.”
True or false? Would you trust that person to be an expert in any skill? It depends.
Age may or may not make you an expert.
It used to be that the fact how long you worked on a certain field, focused on one topic, was the best selling argument. Think of many companies who use “Established 18..” or earlier, or even later, but still using the LENGTH of operation as an indication of being experts in the field.
The same argument has been used by personal brands and specialists, experts and leaders in pitching their skills to possible client, employer or cooperation partner. I myself have helped people write elevator pitches and “About me” pages where one important part was the length of them being experts in the field. Moreover, I myself constantly remind myself and people that I have been in personal branding field for ten years being the first to use and root the term in Estonia. But more and more I have abandoned this tactic. For two reasons that are intertwined:
- Length of practice does not equal expertise.
- We all are constantly in unknown waters because things change so much.
Length of practice does not equal expertise.
When jobs were secured, one could sit on a job, “doing” it and yet not being really good at it. Doing one and the same thing for 20 years may make you good in that particular task but may not make you expert on the field. It is even doubtful that you are good on that particular assignment, because the skill may be automatic, unpolished and by now, there are many ways to do the same thing in a more efficient way.
So, my personal branding tip for you is that instead of talking about how long you have been in the business, talk about the impact you have made, the projects you have failed&succeeded, new programs or leadership styles learnt, how things have changed and your vision for the future in your field. You can add years of operation, but don’t think that equals expertise. What is more, if you state the lengthy years you put yourself in a weak position: now you have taken a position of a know-it-all. If you fail now, it is so much more damaging to your reputation because you “have worked in the field for a decade.” That’s the first reason why having a beginners-mindset is useful. When you start a project, it is not focused on you proving your skill but you learning and working to find solutions that may have not been on your plate before.
We all are constantly in unknown waters because things change so much.
I have talked a lot about the fact that a) you have the ability to design your ow profession and what it entails b) that it is unknown what will be the skills needed in the future, plus c) things we learn today may most likely be irrelevant in a years time (think technology). Take AI. AI has implications to so many fields, starting from sales to HR, from transportation to food industry. It may mean, that you as a teacher, HR specialist, sales rep might have to learn so many things to do your work that you had no idea about when you started off. Your 20 years of previous work and the value you created can be erased by the fact of you not learning new skills.
Now, there is also the other way: ignoring the hyped up “developments” and being the developer. The influencer of your field, stacking up your experience and skills and vision for future or polished nuances of how you do your job. Now that is also sign of expertise. Knowing what you know and sticking to it. You still have to be able to constantly learn and put your skills in practice, but the options how you mold your “expertise” are up to you.
As the world is rapidly changing and what is needed is unknownd, being open to be the beginner, an amateur gives you an opportunity to explore and seamlessly add new skills that you deem necessary.
Learning, practicing and failing is the key
So, years on the jobs don’t say much about your level of expertise, but the way you talk about your work, does. I can pinpoint an expert from a wannabe even while not knowing anything about the field just by the way they talk about what they do. I can differentiate people who think they are experts to those who really are just by the words they choose to use, the jobs they have done and aspirations they have. And so can your clients and employers.
What is important today is to be open to know more, to understand the changing nature of “expert” and to be willing to try and fail. Because every true expert knows that there is no end to learning. The more you know the less you believe you are an all-knowing expert. Failures mean that you have learnt something and you have the courage and passion to try and practice your craft. Now that’s a true expert I want to work for me, no matter what field they are in. Be the beginner on any project you start, open and curious of what you can do, how you can use all your skills and knowledge to make something better.
Having that said, I wish you all a good new business and school season. I wish you interesting developments, open-minded approach and lots of practice. Be the beginner every day, because you never know what new or old skill, experience or knowledge will be the ingredient for the solution you were looking for.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
