How to Be an Expert Without Being a Jerk

Experts can be annoying. Especially young ones -- just look at my colleague Steve Tobak's recent anti-Gen Y guru rant. Or just picture how annoying smarmy life coaches and efficiency experts can be. Claiming to know more than older colleagues in a flashy way can raise their hackles, but that doesn't mean you should strive for mediocrity. Instead, Amber Naslund, writing on Brass Tack Thinking, offers some suggestions on how you can be seen as the go to person on your subject of choice, without being thought of as a jerk.

• Keep a Home for Your Ideas. 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. And invite people to join you with genuine welcome.
• Let Them Spread. Grabbing onto your ideas for dear life doesn't give them wings. With the exception of blatant plagiarism for profit, consider sharing your content and ideas liberally. Let them grow legs. Don't sweat minor misattribution, and celebrate it when ideas find purchase with someone and inspire new ideas of their own.
• Get Comfy With Individuality. Don't be a copycat. Find your own voice, your own identity, your niche or your specialty. And wallow in it. Stop struggling to be the "next whoever", and be the first and last someone like you.
• Focus on the Right Accolades. A self-bestowed title isn't where the magic is. Be clever if you want, and call yourself whatever drives you. But remember that it's not what you call yourself that matters. Titles and trappings are easy to manufacture. Reputation and trust are bestowed by others, and carry much more lasting value.
• Practice the Hard Stuff. We love to spend time on the things we do best, because it makes us feel good. The best in their field spend time working on the things they're not so good at, too. And sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone enough to gain some momentum in a new place.
• 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), and they embrace the notion that there's always something left to learn. Expertise to them is a state of mind and a never-ending journey, not a finite destination.
• 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. Being seen as an expert is as much because you're a gateway to information, rather than a miser hoarding and meting out the information. And occasionally, shut up about yourself (be mindful of how much "me" and "I" is in your conversations).
• 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. Have a sense of humor. Share your personality, your interests. Never take it too seriously. Enjoy the adventure and make people feel as though they're along for the ride.
• 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.

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