Next time you run into an “expert” you may want to find out “what kind.” Especially, if this particular expert want to sell you something. Or, wants to give you some advise.
You see, the person may very well be an expert. It’s just that they’re not an expert in what they say they are, or what you think they are.
This is the worst kind of expert; the most dangerous kind.
“How so?” You ask.
Well, I’ve run into experts before who were very good at what they do. Very well versed. Very experienced.
Only problem was, they were experienced at something I didn’t need them for. And, what I thought was their expertise – the reason I hired them – was really not; they had very little experience in their self-proclaimed area of expertise.
One glaring example comes to mind. I hired a guy to design and organize a new home for me. He touted himself as an expert in this area. Turns out he wasn’t. Turns out he was just selling. Turns out he was just after his commission.
But, he was an expert. He was an expert at getting people to believe he was an expert. Getting people to believe he was an expert in something he wasn’t an expert in.
Yes, he was an expert. But, not the kind I needed. He was an expert of the worst kind; an expert in deception.
So, next time I hire an expert, I first need to determine what kind. I need to do the required due diligence background investigation to determine if the “expert” is really an “expert” in the area the “expert” claims.
I learned this lesson the hard way. I trusted. I didn’t want to question the “expert.” I thought he was a nice guy, likable and I assumed trustworthy.
Big mistake!
So, next time I hear someone say, “Expert in the house!”, I’ll be thinking “Oh yeah, what kind?”