But we all strive to excel at something, and be perceived as doing so. The trick is how you demonstrate expertise and accomplishment without being christened with titles like “douchebag”. If you’re good at what you do, there are ways to communicate and exemplify your good work without having to rely on a flashy few words and adjectives to convey it.

And when you do it right, you won’t need to call yourself an expert, because other people will do it for you.

Here’s my list, but I’d love to hear from you, too.

1. Keep a Welcoming Home for Your Ideas

Keeping a home requires two things: building it, and nurturing it.

That could be a blog. It might be a forum or community you build. But the point is to give your ideas somewhere to take root, to reside, so that it’s yours to keep and tend, and for others to visit. And not unlike the home you live in, it takes constant work, investment, and elbow grease to keep it in tip-top shape. Don’t skimp. Give stuff away. Try other stuff. Put into your work every bit as much as you expect to get out of it. And invite people to join you with genuine welcome.

2. Let Them Spread.

Grabbing onto your ideas for dear life doesn’t give them wings. With the exception of blatant plagiarism, consider sharing your content and ideas liberally. Let them grow legs (check out things like Creative Commons attribution to help set the boundaries).

Don’t sweat minor misattribution, and celebrate it when ideas find purchase with someone and inspire new ideas of their own. There’s nothing new under the sun, so your ideas aren’t that original. Give them breathing room, and worry about your body of work for the long haul, not your ownership for the short term. (Unless you’re patenting flying cars. That one I’d keep to myself.)

3. Get Comfy With Individuality.

Don’t be a copycat.

Find your own voice, your own identity, your niche or your speciality. Some might even say you should get comfortable being unpopular. And wallow in YOU, up to your neck. Stop struggling to be the “next whoever”, and be the first and last someone like you. It’s okay to play in a familiar sandbox, it’s okay to collaborate with peers and be part of a community, but relish the building of your own sandcastle and the work that it takes to get there. The notables stand out. They never completely blend in.

4. Focus on the Right Accolades

A self-bestowed title isn’t where the magic is.

Be clever if you want, and if being the Director of Awesome turns your crank, give it a shot. But remember that it’s not what you call yourself that matters, but eventually, how other people remark about your work and character, and what they’re willing to tell others about you. Titles and trappings are easy to manufacture. Reputation and trust are bestowed by others, and carry much more lasting value.

5. Practice the Hard Stuff.

We love to spend time on the things we do best, because it makes us feel good, empowered, accomplished. The best in their field spend time working on the things they’re not so good at, too.

It’s a matter of balance: the honing of strengths alongside the mitigation of weaknesses. And sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone is enough to gain some momentum in a new place. Stagnation is the enemy if expertise and authority are part of your quest, because you simply never find breakthroughs when you practice the stuff you already know best.

6. Exercise Humility and Graciousness.

Even the experts don’t know it all. The most respected ones not only know that, but say so, openly. And they’re gracious about thoughtful feedback (even if they don’t agree), they’re open to new perspectives, and they embrace the notion that there’s always something left to learn.

They hunger for knowledge, and seek it out regularly. Expertise to them is a state of mind and a never-ending journey, not a finite destination, and certainly not a laurel upon which they’ll ever rest. Recognize that there are perspectives other than your own, be thankful and polite when people share with you in return, and get rid of the notion that the loudest mouth gets the most ears.

7. Share the Stage.

You’ve heard the adage that a rising tide lifts all ships, and it’s true. Share the credit. Welcome the competition and let it drive you. Share your ideas, and promote the work of others lots more than you promote your own.

Being seen as an expert is as much because you’re a gateway to information – a librarian, perhaps – rather than a miser hoarding and meting out the information all by yourself. There’s so much out there for the taking that you can’t possibly be the only source of good things, and if you’re stingy and above it all, the community will go somewhere else to get it. Demonstrate how much you value collaboration by shining a spotlight on good work in your field wherever you find it.

And more than occasionally, turn down the volume about yourself or your work. You don’t need to tap dance for attention in order for people to appreciate your work. I promise. Great resources create magnetic attraction.

8. Let Work Go Sometimes.

If you’re all about work, all the time, you become really uninteresting.

Remember, being respected is about more than being able to regurgitate facts and information. It’s about being the kind of person that other people can draw inspiration from, and that doesn’t always have to be in a professional sense. Have a sense of humor. Laugh at yourself, and be careful at whom you laugh in return. Share your personality, your interests, the dimensions of you that make you different from everyone else. Never take it too seriously all of the time. Enjoy the adventure a bit, and make people feel as though they’re along for the ride.

9. Work your Butt Off (and Be Patient)

Experts are made, not born. And they’re made over years, not weeks or months. They’re devoted to what they do, to a degree that most people are never willing to invest.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, calls it the 10,000 hour rule. That’s 1.14 years. 416 days. Of dedicated time on your chosen focus, exclusively. Which means that there ain’t no such thing as just-add-water expertise. You have to work at it. Relentlessly. So instead of talking about it, you do it. A lot. You screw it up, you learn, and you do it some more. Expertise and influence based on same is a slow burn, not a flash in the pan aided by a clever campaign. It’s one helpful bit of information taught at a time, to the people that need and appreciate it, in between bouts of practice. Over, and over, and over again.

That’s my list. I think you can be outstanding and what you do, as well as respected in your field for your knowledge and your character. Expertise exists, and we all need experts in fields that are not our own. Becoming one? Hard work, devotion, practical application, and the patience to understand the breaking point between expertise that is claimed, and that which is truly earned.

What do you think?

This post is from the BTT archives, back in the good ‘ol days (sometimes before this site was even BTT). From time to time I’ll be updating and posting a few of these when the content stands the test of time and fresh commentary will undoubtedly make it as useful as ever.

9 Ways To Be An Expert Without Being An Ass is a post from: Brass Tack Thinking

And yes, it’s really important to set boundaries for yourself and for your business so that you don’t undervalue the work that you do, or undermine the qualifications you have as a professional. Anyone who has been in business for any length of time will tell you that you have to value your time and expertise and be willing to draw the line at giving away too much for free.

Enter the “No you can’t pick my brain” theme across the internet. Undoubtedly you’ve read one of those posts or three. There might even be one here lurking in the archives somewhere.

The problem in this discussion, as with many other things, is lack of context. Is giving away your knowledge for the price of lunch or a cup of coffee a sound business strategy? Not in a sustainable sense, no.

It’s not smart either, however, to look at every one of those opportunities the same way and dismiss them out of hand. The arrogance of blanket value statements notwithstanding, there are plenty of good reasons to take an hour out of your day to talk to someone who can’t or won’t pay you a dime. You aren’t going to be able to give away the secret codes for the silos in an hour, anyway, but if your first reaction is to think about your hourly rate when you’re getting prepared to talk to someone, keep these things in mind too.

1. Mentorship

The next generation of professionals in your chosen field helps shape the future. If you care about how those people are going to make an impact on your career and work, it can pay dividends to invest time and energy in helping show them the way.

Mentorship can be incredibly rewarding and be a powerful networking opportunity for a group of people who will be the power play of the next layer of the workforce. That doesn’t just go for young graduates, by the way, but consider talking to professionals who are transitioning careers later in their life who are hoping to understand a bit more about what you do and why. You never know where they might end up in your network in the future, and you can influence their perception and perspective about your industry from the get-go.

2. Giving Back

Have a cause? Several? I do. (Animal rescue and preservation of the arts in education are mine, for the record).

I raised funds professionally for many years, and it’s true that non-profits need to build themselves like businesses in order to thrive, and that means taking on the proper kind of expenditures in order to get expert advice when they can. Which isn’t always. But it’s still good to invest.

As a professional, though, I do get great joy from helping an organization that stands for a cause I care about. I consider it a contribution to my community, to the cause itself, and to the organization who would otherwise have to spend that precious cash on yet another hour of someone’s time. If they’re going to hire me to do long term work, we’ll come to agreement about my being compensated for my time. But I can always spare a few hours a month to give a few words of experienced input to people who ask nicely and spend their time working hard to make the world a better place.

Plus, you may be able to deduct some of the time you spend on pro bono work from those pesky taxes (I am not an accountant, so please see your tax professional for the real deal rather than trying to tell the IRS that Amber told you it was okay).

3. Mutual Learning

When we discuss the “brain picking” thing, we typically make the assumption that we are the ones teaching, and someone else is simply learning from what we know.

Why does that always have to be the case?

What does the person that’s asking you know that might be useful to you? Can you trade knowledge, or spend time sharing different experiences? I know that I’ve learned a ton about business from people who have asked me a few questions from my point of view, but then I’ve gone on to learn from them. One local business owner asked me for a few minutes on the phone to get some really basic social media advice, and in return we ended up talking for quite some time about the changing nature of the retail and local business landscape. That information might not be applicable in this second, but it adds to my brain stores of valuable business insights and may just come in super handy.

4. Good Old Sales

Business development is an investment.

In the modern world of content marketing, we talk a great deal about the value of “giving it away” and “being helpful” in order to have people tap you for deeper and more custom insights that you can then charge for, either through a product or services. I believe in that philosophy deeply, but not just online.

I’ve been “giving it away” in some form or another for years when it comes to business knowledge. Brain-picking sessions, speaking engagements that I don’t get paid for, simply a sit-down for networking purposes or to get to know someone better. The expectation isn’t always closing the deal at the table, but imparting a bit of knowledge that can be helpful to someone in this moment so that in a future one, they might hire me to do more.

Do I have filters for those? Absolutely. I know what the right potential client looks like, or an opportunity feels right for another reason. Maybe it’s just that I like someone, and want to give them a hand. It’s a choice and one made deliberately. And it has always, always worked.

The ultimate in “being human” in business is to get people to know, like, and trust you over a drink or a salad and not just if they click your junk or agree to $200/hour just to ask you some questions. The business world is very much one of invest and return, but not always in parallel. You do indeed reap what you sow, and there is a fine line between being smart about where you spend your time and being utterly stingy with it.

So. To sum up.

Giving away the farm? Not good. Always working for nothing? Not sustainable unless you’re a trust fund baby set for life.

But you’ve got to consider brain-picking opportunities as strategically as you do anything else. Not all are created equal. Some are just plain fun or worthwhile. Your filter will vary, and the opportunities that are right for you will look different than mine.

If however you always have your eye on the invoice, you might just miss an outstanding opportunity to tap into something more.

When To Go Ahead And Have Your Brain Picked is a post from: Brass Tack Thinking

There are a bunch of reasons for that, but I just don’t do them. And I’m totally breaking that “rule” because I think each and every one of you reading this can get something out of Chris Guillebeau’s new book, The $100 Startup.

[Full disclosure: Chris sent me an early copy to read. He didn't ask for a review. He didn't send me a pony or even a cup of coffee. There was absolutely no quid pro quo, it was just here's my new book, hope you like it. I know Chris from the online world, but we've never spent time together in person and don't know each other personally all that well. So lest you think this is one of those "oh, he's just her buddy so she's pimping his stuff" things, it isn't. Now then.]

The premise of Chris’ book is simple: Anyone can start a business, and you don’t need a lot of money to do it. Then he gives you key things you need to know about doing that, from getting your message clear to making sure you have a few basic pieces of infrastructure in place. The rest is example after example after example of people who have done it.

In a way, reading this is preaching to the choir, because I owned a business once before, and I’m several months into the second one. So I know it can be done. But there isn’t a business owner – or aspiring business owner – that can’t afford to do it better.

There’s no tricks or gimmicks in here. No shortcuts, no clever under-the-table secrets. What I love about Chris is that he pretty much verifies what you already know: this is going to take work, and a lot of it, and you’re going to have to try stuff to see what works and doesn’t but that it’s absolutely and unequivocally possible. So if it’s that straightforward, why on earth am I so in love with this book?

The elegance is in the simplicity.

I’ve been in the business world for 15+ years, and now own a high-end consultancy that has a promising future. But I must have dog-eared twenty pages in this book, pages that helped reframe some basics and evaluate them more closely for the work we’re doing at SideraWorks. Things like:

• Is the value we’re defining in our messages crystal clear?
• Are we solving the problem our clients have, not just the one we see?
• Do we design our offerings clearly and understand well who the client is?
• Where are the small but important tweaks we can make to what we’re already doing?
• How can we plan simply but clearly to set up and follow through on key milestones in our business with the right clients?

The good news for us is that I think we’re doing a good job, but we can always do better. And several times, jaded business person that I am, I sat up and grabbed for my notebook to scribble down some thoughts about how we can be more interesting, more focused, and better deliver value through the eyes of our clients. That’s a high-value exercise, no matter how many road miles you’ve got under your business belt.

You’re not going to read anything in The $100 Startup that makes you say “I’ve never heard that before!!”. But what you will do is read it, and say “I never thought of this simple and familiar idea that way before”, and you’ll probably smack your head once or twice knowing you should be doing these things and realizing you’ve gotten lost in the weeds a bit. Chris makes you strip out all the decoration and look at the simple stuff that you just might be missing.

Last but important point: Chris is incredibly readable. He’s a wonderful, narrative writer, with a conversational tone and the ability to tell stories really well. (That’s part of why he’s awesomely successful, by the by). So many business books leave you overwhelmed with the feeling that you’re doing it all wrong, that you’ve missed so much, that getting on track to success is an impossible task reserved for only the most robust, well-funded and complex businesses. You’ll put this one down with the feeling that you can do this, and that the only magic is in the fact that there is no magic at all.

So go pick up The $100 Startup, and if you haven’t read Chris’ other book The Art Of Non-Conformity, get that one too while you’re at it. You can get them on Amazon together for about $25. Those aren’t affiliate links, they’re just Amazon links. I couldn’t care less about earning a buck or two, but I do care that you can read some things that energize and inspire you. These are worth the time.

And tell you what. If you buy them, read them, and don’t think you got anything out of them, send me an email and let me know, and I’ll personally buy you another book of your choice.

Thanks, Chris, for the shot in the arm for the girl who had all but given up on business books. Keep writing, and I’ll keep reading.

Read This Book: The $100 Startup is a post from: Brass Tack Thinking