The Importance Of Using Expertise To Lead
If you want to become skilled at leading people, it is important to realize that there are multiple foundations you can use. While many of these foundations can give you high levels of power, they also have a number of disadvantages.
Many great leaders use their power to reward, punish, or control the information which is received by those they lead. The biggest problem with these methods is that the leaders who use them will often become autocratic, and will lose the trust or faith of their followers. In our world of today, many people will do whatever it takes to weaken those that attempt to exert power over them.
To be a great leader, there is another foundation you can use. This foundation is called expert power. Expert power has all the advantages of the methods discussed in the paragraph above, but does not have many of the undesirable side effects. When you are a leader, the people you lead will look up to you. They will be dependent on your wisdom and knowledge to help them succeed. If they cannot depend on you to guide them, you will fail as a leader. To succeed, the people you lead will need to see you as being an expert. If they see you as an expert, it will be easier for you to lead them and execute operations.
There is no reason to lead with an "iron fist" when you lead as an expert. Your followers will respect you based on your knowledge, and will follow your command. They will work hard, and you will be able to rely on them. But it is not just enough for your followers to believe in your abilities as an expert. They must see it with their own eyes. Rhetoric means nothing. A great leader will always make sure that their actions speak louder than their words. The next thing you will need to know is how to develop expert power.
The first obvious thing you will want to do is gain knowledge. Even though it may take a lot of time, it will give you the necessary expertise to showcase your abilities to those you wish to lead. It is also important to know the skills you need to develop. The knowledge that you gain should be useful to those you want to lead. For example, if you want to lead a basketball team, you would want to gain the knowledge to become a great basketball player. If you want to start your own software company, you will need to be an expert at software development. If you decide to start a restaurant which serves a specific cuisine, you will need to become an expert when it comes to cooking and preparing your food. In addition to this, you would also need to learn how to run a restaurant.
In all the above examples, you must be an expert to succeed. But it isn’t just enough to gain the necessary knowledge. Those that you want to lead must believe in your abilities, and should see you as someone who is highly credible. You will want to create the impression of someone who is an expert in a specific field. If you have an educational background in a specific field, everyone on your team should be aware of it. If you have an office, why not put up your degree or other certificates of achievements you have received? When people see this, it will demonstrate that you have been recognized for your accomplishments.
Once you have built up your credibility, you should work extremely hard to make sure it is never compromised. Don’t make reckless comments about things you are not familiar with. It is also important not to get involved with projects that are likely to fail, as this can stain your image. If your group gets into a difficult situation, you will want to make sure you are calm and confident. Even if you are not certain of what to do, never give your subordinates this impression, or they will lose confidence in your leadership abilities. You will want to be decisive when making a decision. An indecisive leader will not be respected by those that follow them.
