We often joke about rocket science, don’t we? As in, ‘It’s not exactly rocket science’, when we want to reassure ourselves that something is less complex than it first appears. I have a belief related to this, which is that Rocket Scientist is one of those very specialist jobs occupied only by true experts. Same for Nuclear Physicist and Molecular Biologist. I’m not sure why, for me, the term ‘expert’ is intrinsically linked to Science – it just is!
I’ve been pre-occupied for some time with the concept of expertise.
I would go so far as to say that attainment of ‘expert’ status – or ‘specialist’ – is a goal I hold more highly for myself in a professional capacity than any one other. In corporate life I was a generalist for years, occupying all manner of roles in business. Dabbling, I call it, by which I mean doing a little of this and a little of that; stumbling into new challenges; trying out whatever came my way. It felt like I never quite allowed myself to get really good at any one thing.
So, what do I mean by an expert? For me, the word itself conjures up a person who has a depth of knowledge and application in a particular topic. They often know something that nobody else knows about that topic – because they were the first to find out. There’s something in there about depth, too – drilling down in a particular topic or field and eschewing other interests to mine the seam right down into the coalface. Experts, I tell myself, are interested in niche subjects and are obsessed about becoming the very best in that niche.
Elizabeth worked for many years in the finance sector.
She was very good at it, and was appointed the first female MD for JP Morgan in Europe. Elizabeth uses a metaphor to explain this concept of breadth (dabbling) and narrowness (expertise) over the lifespan of a corporate career.
Imagine an hourglass, and the shape it occupies. At the very bottom, the start of your career, you have breadth. You take on a variety of roles, try your hand at different disciplines and figure out which part of it you’re good enough at to gain promotion. As you progress up the ladder, you are valued for your specialist knowledge, which deepens and becomes more focused. At some point your hourglass reaches its narrowest point. Often at this time you’re working silly hours in a hands-on technical role – applying your specialism to its’ full.
You progress as far as you are able in this ‘technical’ role, and then you have to make a decision. Usually, in order to move forward (climb the ladder or gain greater job satisfaction), you have to get broader again. Leadership becomes a ‘must have’ in your toolkit, and you take up roles on committees or bodies – internally and externally – that are outside your area of expertise and contribute to the business at a higher level. You ramp up networking outside your organisation and start to build your profile in new and different ways. It’s often around this time that you may want to ‘give something back’, so you seek out roles outside your organisation that enhance your life, provide additional learning opportunities and contribute to a bigger purpose or system.
I reckon we’re still dabbling towards the top of the hourglass, only this time it’s a more purposeful dabbling.
I wonder if this fits for you.
I don’t mean to suggest there is a right or wrong here. It’s merely another paradigm from which to helpfully consider career status and progress. I think it’s particularly relevant when stuck in a career rut, wondering what’s next. Chances are if you’re in that space, it’s time to consider ways to broaden out that hourglass by engaging in a spot of purposeful dabbling.
Don’t keep your great stories to yourself – please get in touch with your views.
Oh, and for a wry and alternative take on experts, check out Brian’s recent blog.
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