Team members have a deep respect for colleagues who project depth and expertise. Those with the persistence to dive into a subject and become more than an internet expert are viewed as committed learners who add real value.
It doesn’t really matter what the topic or subject is. Whenever a colleague has developed a deep knowledge with some connection to the work at hand, we confer to them a greater credibility and listen more intently to what they have to say.
Such expertise is often called a “strategic knowledge” because of its ability to raise the standard of what it means to be an expert. Leaders and team members with a strategic knowledge typically know more about the subject than anyone else in the organization by a wide margin. Sometimes, more than anyone in the industry.
Developing a strategic knowledge is always intentional and requires a deep commitment to study and exploration, often over many years. Team members must have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the topic, or they won’t commit the time and energy it takes to become a true expert. But once they have mastered the domain of expertise on a subject, they can’t help but to see the world from this vantage.
Because of this knowledge, they commonly draw analogies, metaphors, and examples from this domain to improve discussions and decisions on just about anything. They don’t have to brag or boast about their expertise, as it becomes obvious through the references and suggestions they make. Their expertise in this one area spreads its arms to many important conversations and decisions. Others naturally take notice and come to depend on this team member’s ability to learn and think through any issue.
There are no right or best subjects to focus on. As long as the topic is even peripherally related to the mission, vision, and work of the organization, the learning and its analogies hold a valuable currency in the organization, less for its direct influence and more for how the expert is seen by others.
Leaders and team members who work hard over many years to develop a strategic knowledge are held in the highest regard by their colleagues because of their commitment to learning. The application of the expertise, on occasion, is an added bonus.
What expertise do you have that is deeper and more robust than anyone else in the organization? Do you bring this strategic knowledge to many team discussions as a way of setting the standard for true expertise?
It’s never too late or too early to begin developing such a deep and abounding expertise. Examine the most credible leaders in any organization, and you will see they know more about one subject than just about anyone else. That’s one thing that makes them so believable.
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