Are You An Expert Or A Leader?
Image by Joel Mark Witt
I see a lot of people in the new media space referring to themselves and others as new media experts. Or social media experts. I have done the same.
I used to call myself an expert in new media.
But then I thought about it and realized I really wasn’t an expert. Before you think I am shooting myself in the foot by denying my expert status, hear me out.
Experts have all the answers.
I don’t have all the answers. New media is so new that no one has all the answers. I would even say only about 1% of the people involved in this space are even on the right track. Most are fumbling in the dark.
I like to use the analogy of hiking a trail.
An expert of the trail has a map. They have hiked the trail enough times that they know the steep slopes and the trouble areas. Experts know exactly where to cross the streams as to not get wet.
Experts have done it before.
We need experts in every field of life. Experts help us save time and money. Experts are brain surgeons, lawyers, bankers, and pilots.
But I am not an expert.
I have never hiked this trail called new media before. I don’t have a Google map laying out the route. I know where I want to go – but I don’t know exactly how to get there. So instead of a new media expert – I prefer to say that I am a new media leader.
Leaders blaze new trails.
Leaders are risk takers. They stand out in front of a group with a machete and begin cutting into the brush. They see a mountain in the distance that they want to reach but they don’t know the exact path through the jungle to get there. Leaders ask the right questions.
Sometimes leaders get a little lost and have to climb a tree to see the mountain again.
I find that when I get bogged down in my life with the daily "brush cutting" I have to stop, take a good look at the mountain I am trying to reach, and then start again going in the right direction.
This happened with my blogging and use of Twitter over the past few months.
I didn’t know why I was using new media tools. I was just fumbling in the dark. I had to stop – reevaluate and then start again after focusing on my goals. I was getting off on a side trail and needed to refocus on the mountain again.
Leaders are the ones who become experts.
Well – let me rephrase that. Some leaders become experts. True leaders – once they reach the big mountain and climb it – will look out over the horizon and see entire mountain ranges to reach. Expert leaders will walk back the path they charted and then bring more people to the first mountain with them.
Thought: An expert has been – a leader will be.
Warning!
Most businesses don’t want to hire or work with true leaders. Too much risk. No guaranteed answers. No measurable ROI. If you are a consultant, or professional craftsman – please consider the ramifications before calling yourself a leader. Businesses want to hire experts. They want predictable results. They want to follow.
Do you consider yourself an expert or leader?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. After all, I am asking the questions – I don’t have all the answers.
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Photo by: The Wandering Angel