Can Expertise expire?

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Tania Melick, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

I used to believe that I am an Expert at reengineering business processes. I did the work with so much passion and devotion. I was eager to improve the business and make it more profitable. I enjoyed my work. As if my analytical mind had finally found its best friend. And for every project that I did, I was able to see the improvements and to confirm to myself once again that I was an Expert.

Today I ask myself if being an Expert at “something” – entitles us to a status that has no expiry date. Or can Expertise expire? What fuels Expertise so that it does not expire? Is it fueled by our passion to achieve and excel at what we do?.

Would there be Experts if there is no intrinsic passion? The answer that I would give is “No”. Passion feeds Expertise so that Expertise can get to work.

It is like a car that needs fuel or electrical power to drive us to our destination.

Without fuel or electrical power, the car becomes immobile. And if it stays immobile for a long time problems start occurring with the brakes, the clutch plates, the battery etc. It becomes rusty. As a result it cannot drive us to our destination.

Expertise is the car and passion is the fuel. Without passion “Expertise” becomes out of practice and cannot achieve results.

What happens when passion feeds Expertise again? It revives it. Passion pushes Expertise to keep on moving, may be go faster, take a different turn. It starts learning new skills to be able to perform again. It is not anymore the same Expertise. It evolves. It will take us to our destination but may be at a different speed and may be to a different destination. And to sustain the drive Passion needs to always be present.

What does this all mean? It means that Expertise does not expire but it evolves, it metamorphoses itself into something new. It takes a turn, gets in shape again, reskills and moves on.

Passion calls upon Expertise to keep on moving, keep on learning, keep on creating etc. When we do that we become Experts at what we do. We should never forget though that Passion is what helped us to get there. We need to keep on nurturing it so that in return it keeps on feeding us. It is a simple give and take process that never ends.

Tania Melick
Career and business development coach
Mobile: +961-71-309168
Engage in courageous conversations. Life is about creating yourself.
www.linkedin.com/in/tmelickviessmann

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money.
It lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort ". Franklin D. Roosevelt