As people talk about a particular area, they develop expertise in that area.  This is good because people should learn from their experience.  Growing up at my family’s lodge, we took it a step further and had a list of questions that guests asked (frequently!) with the answers.  Here was one of the questions and the answer (to the best of my memory): 

 Q:  What is your experience?

A:  Good or bad?  Doing what?

 This question and answer illustrates, for me, that we should always learn from experience, whether it is positive or negative. 

Years in procurement showed me a variety of things such as:

A rookie may be the wrong choice on a project because the rookie lacks experience today.  Over time, that rookie can gain the experience and become the right choice.

A person who sees himself or herself as an expert often finds it difficult to ask questions, learn from others, and listen with an open mind.  As a result, if the problem faced is different from what the expert has seein in the past, there may be better options than engaging the expert.

While people are learning about an area, they are developing expertise and their knowledge may compliment our own. 

Real solutions have to be tailored to the actual problem.  Often, the issue that is identified is a symptom of a bigger problem.

There is a lot of truth to the engineering definition of an expert as “an unknown drip under pressure.”

Stated differently, expertise can grow while experts shrink.

Questions, research, challenging my own thinking, looking at the situation from different perspectives, and talking with people are five ways that I grow my expertise. 

What do you think?  Is it better to be a student with expertise, or to be an expert?  What steps are you taking based on your answer to that question?

Filed by Coleen Davis at 10:10 am under Business Acumen, Business Tips, Solving Problems, Tips for Students