Are You An Expert Or A Leader?

29 Sep



I see a lot of people in the new media space referring to themselves and others as new media experts. Or social media experts. I have done the same.

I used to call myself an expert in new media.

But then I thought about it and realized I really wasn’t an expert. Before you think I am shooting myself in the foot by denying my expert status, hear me out.

Experts have all the answers.

I don’t have all the answers. New media is so new that no one has all the answers. I would even say only about 1% of the people involved in this space are even on the right track. Most are fumbling in the dark.

I like to use the analogy of hiking a trail.

An expert of the trail has a map. They have hiked the trail enough times that they know the steep slopes and the trouble areas. Experts know exactly where to cross the streams as to not get wet.

Experts have done it before.

We need experts in every field of life. Experts help us save time and money. Experts are brain surgeons, lawyers, bankers, and pilots.

But I am not an expert.

I have never hiked this trail called new media before. I don’t have a Google map laying out the route. I know where I want to go – but I don’t know exactly how to get there. So instead of a new media expert – I prefer to say that I am a new media leader.

Leaders blaze new trails.

Leaders are risk takers. They stand out in front of a group with a machete and begin cutting into the brush. They see a mountain in the distance that they want to reach but they don’t know the exact path through the jungle to get there. Leaders ask the right questions.

Sometimes leaders get a little lost and have to climb a tree to see the mountain again.

I find that when I get bogged down in my life with the daily “brush cutting” I have to stop, take a good look at the mountain I am trying to reach, and then start again going in the right direction.

This happened with my blogging and use of Twitter over the past few months.

I didn’t know why I was using new media tools. I was just fumbling in the dark. I had to stop – reevaluate and then start again after focusing on my goals. I was getting off on a side trail and needed to refocus on the mountain again.

Leaders are the ones who become experts.

Well – let me rephrase that. Some leaders become experts. True leaders – once they reach the big mountain and climb it – will look out over the horizon and see entire mountain ranges to reach. Expert leaders will walk back the path they charted and then bring more people to the first mountain with them.

Thought: An expert has been – a leader will be.

Warning!

Most businesses don’t want to hire or work with true leaders. Too much risk. No guaranteed answers. No measurable ROI. If you are a consultant, or professional craftsman – please consider the ramifications before calling yourself a leader. Businesses want to hire experts. They want predictable results. They want to follow.

Do you consider yourself an expert or leader?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. After all, I am asking the questions – I don’t have all the answers.

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Joel Mark Witt

Photo by: The Wandering Angel

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  • Great article. Having been in the web biz for years now, I find this to generally be true in this business. No two projects are ever alike; it's always new - new technology, new platform, new media, etc. Thanks for writing an article that explains my professional career! :)
  • joelmarkwitt
    Thanks Angie for the comment.

    You are right. No two projects are ever the same.

    When I was growing up - my dad always told me that learning how to learn was the best skill I could develop. He had foresight that most of my teachers lacked. They focused on the data at hand instead of the learning process itself.

    Thankfully I had parents who knew enough to teach me the art and love of learning. And this has served me very well in the area of social media.

    ~ Joel
  • Great post, many of us are just groping in the dark I agree. I personally think one must answer the question, "What am I looking to get out of this?" Is it for personal expression, promoting a business or just listening to what is out there.

    I am finding out the hard way, those promising to sell you their map to social media utopia and people selling maps of the stars homes in Hollywood have a lot in common. They both cost you money, time and at the end of the day, the person selling you the map didn't find it valuable either.
  • joelmarkwitt
    Hey Rich,

    Thanks for the comment. I hope people aren't just groping in the dark. There are some great "expert leaders" who can help us get to already reached destinations. Some of these "expert leaders" really do know how to use Twitter, Facebook, etc. (Or where the stars really live).

    True leaders (the kind that use machetes) appear to be groping - but they have a pretty good idea where they want to end up. I use the metaphor of the mountain in the distance. Sometimes they have to climb a tree and see where it is again - but they know the mountain is the goal.

    ~ Joel
  • Cat
    In terms of social media, there are no experts. Just participants. Or so I think. Another important point re: social media is how very different the mediums are that get lumped together under "social media" as an umbrella term: http://twurl.cc/1e6n Some of these "experts" are just as confused as everyone else.
  • joelmarkwitt
    Hi Cat.

    Thanks for the comment. I would say some are more than participants. There is a group of people that "sees a mountain in the distance" and begins charging the way forward. They may not have all the answers, but they are leading others down a path that is exciting and challenging.

    But they ARE leading. They know where they are going.

    A group of participants really goes nowhere. Everything rises and falls on leadership.

    Are leaders participants? Absolutely. They wouldn't be leaders otherwise. But leaders have something else that sets them apart from the crowd... they ability to motivate and inspire others and lead the way.

    ~ Joel
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