In many business positions, individuals progress by developing their expertise, be they engineers, accountants, lawyers or marketers. When I think back on my career and the progress I have made along my path in the professional services industry, I have often been asked, “What is your area of expertise, what will you specialize in?” This is a common phrase I hear from clients hear with whom I now work as an executive coach.
I work with many professionals from professional services firms as well as executives who are taking on broader roles within their companies and overseeing new areas of the business that may be less familiar to them.
The “expert trap” describes a place where people no longer benefit from being an expert. To go beyond one’s area of knowledge requires the individual to step out of their comfort zone, which can be unsettling and lead to anxiety and stress.
The expertise trap is particularly pronounced in professional services firms, where building your career usually requires a high level of expertise — and in fact, it is the expertise that clients pay for. However, to succeed in today’s world where problems are becoming increasingly complex and multidisciplinary, these professionals must be able to let go of their need to know and become more comfortable with the unknown, especially if they are in a sales role as a partner or Partners take over as managers of the company. Easy to say, much harder to implement.
Experts are naturally guided by their knowledge and experience and often have a desire to do things “right.” This natural bias and focus on specific outcomes can exacerbate the expert trap and make it harder to let go.
So what can you do when you recognize this within yourself and know that you must move forward into the unknown?
Here I spend a lot of time working as an executive coach, helping others understand what they fear and what holds them back — and finding strategies and new powers to help them have richer, more inclusive conversations with their clients lead teams.
1. Be honest with yourself and calmly say “I don’t know.”
Divide it into bite-sized pieces. When you get to the heart of it – what is really happening? Very often it is based on the fear of not knowing the answer, of being “caught” or of saying the wrong thing. Fear of going beyond your expertise could be a form of imposter syndrome. According to the Harvard Business ReviewAbout a third of young people suffer from it, and 70 percent of everyone else is expected to experience it at some point in their lives. Ask yourself what you could say instead. Saying “I don’t know, but I can find out” is a way to be transparent and build trust.
2. Find a buddy to attend meetings with, someone with a different skill set than you.
I often advocate that people double up in meetings: one leading the conversation and the other supporting. First, it brings a different perspective and area of knowledge to the discussion, but also provides two means of reading the room and following the interests of your client.
3. Acknowledge uncertainty and accept vulnerability
This will feel uncomfortable at first, but use the muscles you’ve built throughout your life. Think back to other “firsts” where you may have been afraid or worried, remembering how you handled the situation and what you might do as you step out of your comfort zone and into new areas of leadership or conversation . The ability to be vulnerable and humble and recognize that one may not always have the answers allows us to reflect more and deepen connection with others.
4. Focus on being present, following the conversation, and asking good questions
Be curious. I always help my coaching clients get started. Focus on the other person. What could happen for them? What are they interested in? Very often a really good conversation with deep listening and relevant questions that follow the flow can provide insight to others. Being genuinely interested in another person’s success can ease the worries of “not knowing” and help you build a human connection and a personal relationship that allows you to feel more comfortable not having all the answers in the moment knowledge.
5. Consider finding a mentor or working with an executive coach
Find someone you know and respect who you have seen have expertise moving into a broader leadership or business role and can serve as a mentor. However, often these challenges are internal and in many cases, working with an executive coach can help get to the heart of the challenge in a way that a mentor may not be able to.
An experienced executive coach can help individuals discover what they truly care about. Working not only with the mind but also the senses in the body can provide professionals with the opportunity to figure out what they are nervous about in a confidential setting and work on finding coping strategies that work for them. By stepping out of their comfort zone, learning and experimenting, they can begin to enjoy and thrive in a broader commercial context.
Helen Wada is the founder of The human advantage.
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