Tweet

When the Experts are just Plain Wrong

Written by: Rebel Brown

Article Overview: Don't dismiss your own knowing, no matter what the experts say.

When the Experts are just Plain Wrong

We're all taught to trust the experts, whether they are a doctor, lawyer or Indian chief (I had to do that:)). Seriously, we all look to the experts for sage and sound advice. In business and our personal lives, we trust them to help us see more deeply into whatever situation we're facing.

What happens when the experts are wrong?

We retain business experts to help us learn about new markets and situations. We rely on them to fill in our gaps, to add their in-depth knowledge to our business planning. We seek out those with demonstrated success and longevity in a specific market, who have the hands on experience to help us succeed.

But what if these experts are stuck in their own status quo thinking? What if they can't see the future, the changes, the evolution that's happening in their own field of expertise? What if their expertise is jaded (and diminished) by the 'way they've always done it'?

We have to take responsibility for our own destiny.

I'm speaking from my own experience here. These past few weeks I have been working with an 'expert' in a particular field of new interest for my own business. I hired a person whom I thought was the best. Great experience, lots of references from close associates. I was so excited!

Almost from the beginning of our work together I had the strong belief that my expert's recommendations were out of sync with my focus. Did I listen to my own internal warning system? Nope. I kept changing my approach, my plan, my thinking to follow his guidance. I stuffed my own knowing into the closet and followed the experts' advice.

Your intuition can be stronger than the best expert around!

I found myself feeling less and less excited about the work. I started to dread focusing on this aspect of my business. I was grumpy and confused. The more advice I received from my expert, the more lost I felt.

Last week I sat down and took a strong look at what was happening around this project. Here's what I found:

My core focus had shifted so much I didn't recognize the work anymore. Neither did my friends, who I approached for their thoughts. My audience had shifted as well - suddenly I was focused on a whole different group. The work had been diluted to the point that I cringed as I reviewed it.

I'd been transformed into this 'expert's' version of me.

I lost myself in the process. Wow. I dug a little deeper and realized that this expert did know his stuff. Problem is that his experience and focus was in a different niche of his broad market than the one I wanted to address. We were (and are) out of sync. Needless to say - we've gone our separate ways and I'm now digging out to find the original core of my ideas.

I've learned a valuable lesson. Thanks to this experience - the core ideas are returning even stronger. Not because of what the expert told me to do. His advice sent me off in the wrong direction for what I intended to accomplish. Now I'm taking what I've learned from my friends and mentors about this new area -and filtering what is right for me, my goals and my work. My ideas and my commitment are stronger than ever - because I'm trusting my intuition and my own expertise to know what's right for me.

Don't dismiss your own knowing, no matter what the experts say.

Related Articles
  How Good is Your Guru?
  The Customer is Not Always Right
  Text vs. Images on your Website
  Don't Over Think It!
  Plain English Guide to Getting Out of Business

Article Tags: belief that, business experts, close associates, depth knowledge, dread, gaps, guidance, hands on experience, indian chief, intuition, longevity, own business, own destiny, personal lives, quo thinking, sound advice, status quo, strong belief, sync, warning system



Related Forum Posts
Funnies - Hi There, Here are some bad headlines: Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge Eye Drops Off Shelf Hospitals Are Sued By 7 Foot Doctors Inclued Your Children When Baking Cookies Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted Kindest regards Beat
Re: Why Franchises Fail - [quote="Nana":307g5e63]Another reason franchises can fail is due to lack of effort on the franchisees part. If the franchisee does not give it their 110% and purely imitates rather than innovates they will increase their chance of failure.[/quote:307g5e63] I agree. Sometimes franchisees rely too much on the franchisor. They think the franchisor will run their business. Wrong! The franchisee is responsible for manging day to day operations of his franchise location.
Your Intial Mistakes Business - Hi, When I started my business I had made a lot of mistakes initially. These helped me in learning the art of the trade and today when I look back, I feel that these mistakes were quite silly. I had made my learnings then and those learnings have helped me time and again. Some of the mistakes I made were - i. Wrong Time Management ii. Wasting money on glossy Brochures and Business cards iii. Believing what they taught me at school was 100% correct iv. Giving too much when it was not required...... I would like to find out what have been your faltering moments in Business when you had started and what/how did they help you grow. Regards
Re: Credit Tips: Dos, Don'ts & a Quiz! - Don't forget to check your credit ratings and know where you stand. It can give you a good idea of where you can improve, unless you already have an impeccable score! Experts recommend checking your credit score at least once a year. Normally if someone else other than yourself checks your credit (ie. mortgage company, auto dealer, credit card application), which is called hard inquiries, it can lower your credit score. However when you check your own, it is considered soft inquiries and there is no impact on your overall ratings. You can easily review your score online at Equifax or TransUnion Canada.
Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales Flubs

Selling On Ebay The Good The Bad And The Ugly

Live To Work Or Work To Live?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.