As a leader do you think you are an expert?

Are you a leader of some sort? Perhaps a middle manager, a school principal or even a CEO… Thing is, most of you are leaders: if you are a parent or a teacher you are a leader.

The key question for you is do you lead from a position of expertise?

Do you think or say “I’ve been here before you, I know how it works, I have the answer for you”. Do you say, as a parent, “When I was your age…” As a teacher, do you take the view that you have the expertise, they need to listen to me? As a leader, do you think or say “I started on the bottom rung, I know this business inside out…”?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you see yourself as an expert leader. Not a leader who is expert at leading, but one who leads from your process or content knowledge and experience.

So here’s the challenge: if you lead from your expertise, your leadership is likely floored. Those whom you lead are likely to be less engaged with you than they might. Perhaps a great deal less engaged. The more you are this sort of ‘leader’, the more you are likely to be challenged with this.

The era of the leader as a content or process exert has finished. A characteristic of both Education 2.0 and Society 2.0, the need is no longer for leaders to have contextual expertise. Indeed, being a content or process expert will now get in the way of leading well.

But there is some good news: You can still use your experience, your knowledge, your expertise. The trick is to engage, connect and listen first. Clearly there are some differences between parenting, teaching and leading an organisation, and the demands on content and process delivery vary.

Yet, as a leader, you ,and your expertise, are far more effective once others have detected and experienced unconditional respect, being listened to and being encouraged. You are taken far more seriously for giving these three simple things.