How Do You Become a Sought-After Expert?

"With hard work and smarts, almost any professional could become a thought leader in his or her company or field. Few ever try — and that's your competitive advantage. If you're willing to take the risk of sharing yourself and your ideas with the world, you're far ahead of the majority, who stay silent." 

~ Dorie Clark, Stand Out

​Before you can become a sought-after expert, you must be an expert. You must have extensive knowledge of a particular subject garnered through research, education, and experience. This ever-deepening knowledge informs your perspective; it is at the heart of who you are and how you want to make a difference in the world. And, perhaps most importantly, you must be committed to deepening your knowledge and understanding of that subject.

To be an expert, you must always be listening and learning. You must embrace those who challenge your ideas, dig deeper, and refine your ideas in response to their feedback.

Experts don't deal in secrets to success or one-size-fits-none solutions.

Instead, experts take the time to understand the problem behind the problem and use their knowledge and experience to help them identify multiple solutions. Finally, they work with you to help you find the right path forward for you and your organization.

I suspect that you are an expert. 
 
You may feel like a well-kept secret, but that doesn’t diminish the value of your expertise or your ability to impact other people’s lives. But hustling to find new opportunities is exhausting, and it is hard to stand out in all the noise. To rise above the cacophony and become a sought-after expert, you must do three things:
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1. ​Share your ideas. You cannot build your reputation as an expert if you don’t share your ideas publicly. Giving voice to your BIG idea — your bold, insightful, and galvanizing idea — forces you to think more deeply so you can communicate it clearly. When you test your idea in the marketplace, your audience can evaluate it. The feedback they provide allows you to refine your idea further. Every time you share your idea, you demonstrate your expertise, expand your influence, and magnify your impact. 
2. Demonstrate your credibility. You cannot build your reputation as an expert if you don’t demonstrate your credibility. In a world where everyone claims to be an authority, you can stand out by clearly signaling to your audience precisely what makes you a credible expert. Your credentials may include degrees and certifications, where you studied or worked, testimonials, and public appearances, including speaking engagements, podcast appearances, media mentions, and bylines.  
3. Cultivate your community. You cannot build your reputation as an expert in a vacuum; you need a community. Your community includes the people to whom you wish to be of service. It also includes your colleagues, friends, and collaborators. Your community challenges and celebrates you — and you do the same for them. They expose you to different perspectives and help you refine your ideas by providing thoughtful and relevant feedback. They also help you spread the word by sharing your ideas with their communities. 

 
When you write articles for publication in business magazines like Entrepreneur, Inc., and Thrive Global, you not only share your idea with the publication’s readers, but you demonstrate your credibility. These publications vetted you; they reviewed your credentials and, by choosing to publish your work, are signaling to their readers that your perspective is valuable. You can reinforce that perspective by sharing the most relevant credentials in your contributor bio. By writing articles that provide smart, actionable advice, you build your community even further. 
 
There are many ways to become a sought-after expert. Still, it is impossible to achieve that goal if you don't share your ideas, demonstrate your credibility, and cultivate your community. The world is a noisy place. By sharing thoughtful and actionable insights, your audience will come to value your perspective, and your voice will be heard.