3 Tips To Help You Stay In Your Lane: Don’t Be the Expert on Everything to Everybody!
According to the definition of expert on my recent google search it is stated that an expert is “A person who has a comprehensive & authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.” Common synonyms associated with being an expert is specialist, authority, and pundit. We all know an expert and either follow them, read their books, watch their videos, or look to them for advice. What the majority of us do as a default is ask those experts their opinions or advice on everything. I know that I have done that very thing from time to time and what I have learned over the years when I made those inquiries is that true experts only yield answers to those things that they are truly an expert in. What they understand is just how important it is to stay in their lane and, while they will provide an opinion or advice from a leadership standpoint, what they don’t do is call themselves the leading authority or expert on every topic they give advice on.
We live in a society that is dominated by social media, the second by second delivery of news and information, and the expectation of instant gratification or satisfaction. What we are also seeing in today’s fast-paced economy is a saturated list of businesses, services and individuals looking to turn a profit, enter the experts.
One of the first things I teach in my business development coaching/training sessions is the power of creating your personal brand. Being a leading authority is a key developmental tool needed to help differentiate your personal brand from all the others that are inside your niche market. What’s more important here is that you must identify an area of expertise or one that gives you authority. This is what you are 99% better at than that of your colleagues and the main reason people come to you for advice, help, or guidance on. It’s at this moment you are becoming an authority figure or expert because you are recognized for your consistency on showing up, valued for your content, and have a resume of results on the particular topic and/or information you are providing.
Once you start getting recognized as a leading authority or if you are a skilled net worker or builder of relationships, it will become increasingly harder to yield questions from a host of others and be asked these questions from a variety of topics. This is where most go wrong and start to position themselves as THE expert on everything. When the latest and greatest comes out, they’ve got the magic sauce and have the “6 figure” recipe. Please note that any entrepreneur of capitalist will use whatever is popular or makes sense within their business model to turn a profit; however, what don’t see from these is the title expert of thought leader on everything. This causes confusion within your target market and can alienate you from those thought leaders you need to be around because you come across not trustworthy, a “fake” and someone who would do anything for a sale. Here it is imperative that you stay in your lane and focused on YOUR area of expertise. Listen here for a 60 second message from me on Staying In Your Lane.
These tips are very important to utilize as accountability measures to hold you in check and keep you humble. What it will do is allow you to expand on your current area of expertise and only improve your credibility in the marketplace and to that of you current target market as well.
Identify your Power Base: Find 3–5 people that you trust implicitly and offer you guidance, advice, and accountability inside your niche market and outside that niche market as well. These are primarily those individuals who understand friendship and loyalty but value integrity and honesty no matter what the cost. You will use your Power Base for the expert advice you are looking for and will provide your level of expertise back to them.
Hire a Coach/Mentor: This is important to any business owner, entrepreneur, and individual looking to improve their current situation and lead an extraordinary life. It is ok to have multiple mentors/coaches but it’s important to identify the areas these coaches/mentors specialize in for you. One of my mentors Micheal Hyatt stated that people value and show up more for those things they pay for than those that don’t. This is why you must commit to paying for a mentor so that you give just as much effort and attention to the mentor that you are expecting in return from him/her. This person or persons will provide you with training, knowledge, skill enhancement, and motivation at a core level.
Serve Your Target Market: Once you begin your target market you need to start serving them with your expertise. They will provide invaluable feedback to you on where you are winning and where you are losing. They don’t want to be confused and misled so here you must hone in on your message, be consistent in it’s delivery, and lean on them for feedback and engagement that will lead to a need for you to stay educated and up-to-date on your message and area of expertise. You can serve them a variety of ways such as webinars, mastermind groups, blogs, live streams, etc. Stay so engaged with them that don’t have time to stray from your core message.
Trust me it is not wise to try and be the smartest person in the room at all times as you will find yourself merely being the smart person in the dumb class. Stay in your lane, stay dedicated to your core proposition, and serve your target audience. Lean to your power base for guidance and trust their movements in the marketplace when you might be doubting yours or looking for advice. Apply the three tips provided here immediately in your business or life and be humble by staying in your lane.
Matt Crane is an International business coach, mentor, and trainer. He is President of Matt Crane Enterprises and offers Professional and Entrepreneurial Business Development through one-on-one coaching programs and team and company training programs as well. He is an accomplished public speaker and also host the Power of Great podcast that airs weekly on iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud bit.ly/iammattcrane. To learn more visit www.iammattcrane.comor follow Matt on all social media channels @iammattcrane. You can also email Matt at iammattcrane@gmail.com to inquire about his services or book Matt for next event or team training. “Your current situation is NOT your defining moment” and I look forward to working and achieving great things with each and every one of you. -Matt Crane
