By David Ronald
Sometimes it feels that there are types of people—those claiming to be experts and those willing to believe everything that a so-called expert tells them.
And I confess that I am occasionally guilty of falling into that second category.
We are surrounded by so-called experts—people with opinions, but very little actual expertise. Often I am willing to defer to the opinions of someone speaking about a topic with confidence. Sadly, however, confidence seldom equates to actual expertise.
According to one dictionary definition an expert is someone possessing special skill or knowledge and trained by practice.
The key part of that definition is “trained by practice”.
So here are some thoughts on how to get the most the relationships with any consultant who you invite into your business:
- Be a student, don’t be a follower. Consider all valid viewpoints and embrace opposing views. Seek the conflicting counsel of several experts—don’t just drink the Kool-Aid because the “expert” said to. Be a learner; a researcher, not a disciple.
- Only take advice from those who have done what they are advising you to do successfully and often. Find practitioners, not just teachers, even if you’re eager to learn the topic. Vet your experts / consultants by results, not pontification.
- Ensure that your decision is the product of your own conclusions. Ultimately, you know best. You were designed with a built-in intuition to sort, vet and determine what’s real from what’s counterfeit. Trust yourself.
Be like the one little kid in the story of the emperors’ new clothes; the only person in the kingdom who was willing to call out, “But mommy, he isn’t wearing any clothes.”
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