In fields from medicine to music, extensive research reveals a consistent theme: no one is born an expert. Simply put, an expert is an individual who consistently outperforms others in their respective field.
There is, however, no inherent set of qualities that destine someone for extraordinary achievement. Rather, expertise is a result of three factors and each is very much under your control: a) experience, b) knowledge and c) purposeful skill practice.
Experience
There is no substitute for experience when it comes to developing expertise. Experience offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn. Unfortunately, all too often people ignore the lessons experiences offer and simply repeat, again and again, the same ineffectual patterns of performance. To develop your expertise, you must let experience work for you.
Thoughtfully analyzing the events comprising your experiences to identify what you did well and what could be improved leads to the insights that will improve your performance. The greater the diversity of experiences in your field (e.g., different people, situations, purposes), the greater the benefit offered by those experiences. Different experiences give you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in unique and untested ways. Recently, I heard Delta Airlines CEO Gerald Grinstein explain that at one point during their recent bankruptcy period, every Delta employee — including the CEO — was required to clean airplanes. His experience of removing gum from under passengers’ seats at 2 a.m. gave him a perspective on the requirements for Delta’s success that could not have gained during the regular 9–5 in his large, comfortable corporate office.
Knowledge
Find an expert, and you will find someone with an uncommon knowledge. Experts know more about their field and the factors impacting it than virtually anyone. This finding is no great discovery. But how experts come to this knowledge is.
1. Information Sources. Experts rely upon extensive resources for information — far more than those with lower levels of expertise. Books, formal education, peers, experiences, conferences, clients, seminars, newspapers and any other source of credible information receive regular scrutiny for useful information. Thomas Edison confessed that he “readily absorbs ideas from every source, frequently starting where the last person left off.” Our research has found that those with lower levels of expertise, particularly novices, believed they pretty much knew all they need to know to perform well. With this belief, one seeks little, if any, new information. Experts, in contrast, recognize that there is a vast body of knowledge out there waiting to be exploited, and they want to be first in line.
2. Asking Questions. Experts tend to ask more questions of their colleagues, clients, employees and even those outside their domain. In this way, experts discover information and insights that broaden their understanding, offer new insights and provide alternatives — all of which allow them to make more informed decisions. Experts also willingly question the status quo in their search for better solutions to recurring problems. In Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap,” Circuit City CEO Alan Wurtzel reported, “They used to call me The Prosecutor, because I would hone in on a question. You know, like a bulldog, I wouldn’t let go until I understood. Why, why, why?”
3. Listening. Stand in a room full of people, and look for those who talk less and listen more. These individuals will walk out of the room with more knowledge than they brought. Experts listen. They listen because they believe they have much to learn, and as IBM’s Thomas Watson, Sr., put it: “Listening is one of the best ways to learn.”
4. Failing and Succeeding. When something attempted does not work, is it failure? Not to a man who in his lifetime registered 1,093 patents and along the way invented the phonograph, light bulb, the central power station and scores of other devices that continue to shape our lives over a century later. Thomas Edison said, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.” To the expert, something that does not work offers not a setback, but a discovery. Similarly, when something does work, the expert doesn’t get carried away in kudos and congratulations. Success is not an end point, but a process. Because an expert is constantly looking for improvement, failures and successes are equally scrutinized to discover the lessons they hold.
Purposeful Skill Practice
The research of Dr. Anders Ericsson, a leading scholar in the development of expertise, found that it takes at least 10 years of intense preparation and deliberate practice to acquire the skills required for an expert performance. Further, three factors must be present for an experience to constitute purposeful skill practice.
1. Critical Skills. One’s performance level in any domain depends largely upon the individual’s ability to perform essential or critical skills in a graceful, competent and timely manner. This is as true for a business leader as it is for a concert pianist. An expert’s extensive knowledge helps her/him identify the skills needed to get results. And once identified, these skills are relentlessly and purposefully practiced. Reflecting back on his 20 years that saw Kimberly-Clark transform into the world’s leading paper-based consumer products company, retired CEO Darwin Smith simply said, “I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job.”
2. Informative Feedback. Without informative feedback, purposeful practice would soon take on the appearance of mere routine. Informative feedback comes in two forms, and both are essential for improving skills: a) feedback on technique, and b) feedback on performance. Feedback on technique provides information on the correctness of the skill performed, while feedback on performance provides information on the level of success achieved when performing the skill. As an example, if you were attempting to improve your communication skills, feedback on technique would provide information on your communication mechanics such as diction, vocabulary, inflection, etc. (i.e., the actual things you do). Feedback on performance would provide information on the results of your communication such as audience comprehension or interest (i.e., the consequences of your actions).
3. Repeat and Refine. The improvement of any skill is largely dependent upon the opportunity to repeatedly practice and refine. Improvement in skill is gradual. It takes time to refine and ingrain the appropriate procedures until they become automatic. No one learns an effective sales technique, computer operation or decision making in a single practice session. Repeated efforts to improve, combined with informed feedback aimed at refined performance over a sustained period of time, is the only pathway to better performance. It is folly to think that your performance will be any better tomorrow if you use yesterday’s skill set. Improve your critical performance skills and you will improve your performance.
