Expertise is an interesting animal. It gives you a perspective that’s both beyond the average Joe, and more handicapping than duct-taping your hands over your eyes…

My good friend Dawud has a post up at Emoms at Home about the most important question you can ask your patrons: “How can I help you?”

It sounds so simple, so straightforward… I mean, you should know what your patrons need, right? After all, it’s your business, right? Well, kinda.

As I see it, there are two sides to this…

United Airlines’ Big Duh

Earlier this year on a United flight to Chicago, the pre-takeoff safety announcement ended with, “If there’s anything we can do to make your flight more comfortable, let us know.”

And I thought… “Huh? We’re about to be 35,000 feet in the air, and all we have onboard is what you brought. If you can do anything for me, you should be the ones who know what it is! After all, how many times a day do you do this?”

And that’s true; it’s United’s business, and they’re the ones who are “in the conversation” of flying all day long. They’ve got the angles figured out; they’re the experts.

You Forget What You Didn’t Know

Last month, I was the head chef for a retreat of 150 or so people. My staff was awesome; all of us were pros in the kitchen, and that made my job easy. At the same time, we had a lot of volunteer help, and many people didn’t know a grater from a gratin.

I found myself giving directions many times to a volunteer only to be met with a blank stare; they had no idea what I was talking about.

I had failed to realize how much my years of experience in a kitchen clouded me from understanding just how lost a novice would naturally be, when asked to do something completely beyond their comfort zone (which probably didn’t go much beyond ordering pizza or nuking a frozen burrito).

The Double-Edged Sword of Expertise

On one hand, an expert can see things a novice can’t, because they’re so intimately familiar with their subject. An expert is going to recognize nuances and subtleties that would completely evade a novice’s eye.

As the expert in your own business, you can see hundreds of ways to help your patrons, and all kinds of applications for what you offer; your work is invaluable to them, and you know it. You can see it. And because you can see what they can’t yet, it’s important to tell them what’s available to them, because most of the menu is going to be too far ahead for them to see.

At the same time, you’re so far down your own road, you forget a lot of what it’s like to be at the beginning. You’re so far into what you do, you forget what it’s like to approach your subject and not have a clue as to how to implement it.

As the expert of your business, it’s up to you to ask your patrons what their needs are, because you’ve probably forgotten what it was like to be in their shoes. Your patrons can give you amazing insight into their own perspective, if you ask them for it… to which you can marry your amazing solutions, and a happy union results.

Can you do it? Can you be humble, while still standing strongly in your expertise?

My turn: How can I help you? As an expert, here’s what I know:

• I know that my training as an intuitive healer gives me insight into how you can defeat patterns in your life that keep you from reaching your potential. If you’re struggling to uncork your abilities, I know I can help.
• I know that my background in marketing, productivity, and communication can help you understand how to create a business that people love. If you’re wanting to take your business out in a way that really reaches people, I know I can help there, too.
• I know my years as a student of spirituality can help you find purpose and meaning in your life and your work. If you’re feeling the ennui of life, or feel as if you’re just spinning your wheels, I know I can help you find the direction you need.

And, as an expert, I know I can’t see your needs in the same way you do… so tell me in the comment box. Let me know what you need help with, where you’re stuck, and what you feel you need. If you see a way that my skillset can benefit you, tell me. If you know what you want, but aren’t sure if I “do that”, try me.

Together, we can defeat the double-edged sword of expertise, and that will benefit us both, helping each of us to reach our potential.

Want a podcast of this? Click here.

Image by piermario on Flickr, via Creative Commons license.

And thanks to all those who commented on the previous post so far: Jean Browman, Lorraine Calhoun, Joanna Young