I have to confess I don’t know too much about the hospitality business beyond my experience as a customer. But I’ve been learning about some of the ideas, principles and values of hospitality from Rosa Say’s work on Managing with…

Thanks for the resources. I’ll take a look when I’m back at work on Monday.

Doug

I’m always happy to help. And, ahhh, you’re tricky. You got me to read your About page. Cool stuff you’ve done. Are you going to try to make SOBCon07?

Phew. Though, I used to call myself a “digital and database marketing expert”.

I stopped that. Double-phew.

Just remembered (getting old )
Read another related quote this morning (I have books for breakfast) in The Knowing-Doing Gap by the same writers as Hard Facts..
Goes in the line of becoming an expert by doing (instead of just reading, talking about it). The writers compaire it with the ’statement’ used by surgeons: hear one, see one, do one – where by implementing ideas (from ‘experts’) it normally comes down to:
Hear one, see one, talk about one

Nice quote. Thanks. I’d love to hear more.

Your last remark reminds me of what is said in Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-truths and Total Nonsense:
“..all businesses should be run with “the attitude of wisdom” – the ability to act with knowledge while doubting what you know.”

Counts for everything I think.

Right on.

Anthony

I hear you. I go back to the definition of expert; ‘comprehensive and authoritative knowledge or skill.’ I simply think the title of expert is overly used and poorly given to the point that it waters down someone who truly is an expert.

Yet, like with most true experts – say, like Stephen Hawking as a physicist – they have enough humility to know that they’re not really an expert on anything.

Everybody who claims/brands he/she is The Expert etc should be very wary about ‘being found-out’. Claiming you’re an expert is going to cost you dearly then.

I fully agree with you: the ‘expert’ doesn’t decide he/she is, your ‘delivery’ does.

This has been my experience. I make a fine living – no complaints. And I know I’m underpaid. All the while, work just keeps flowing to me – or is it chasing me?

LoL. We don’t have to deal with that, they are going to have to deal with it very quickly IMHO.

It comes down what is said in one of my favourite quotes:
“For if you’re paid more than you’re worth, you eventually will be restructured, reengineered, replaced, fired, outplaced, declared obsolete and disposed of. Overpaid individuals are overdrawn on their knowledge and skills bank account. Individuals who are underpaid for the level and quality of service they provide are always in demand and always ahead of the pay scale in terms of knowledge and contribution. So money and opportunity are always chasing them.

Let money chase you, but never let it catch you, or you’ll become a slave to money, instead of money working for you.”
(Dr Denis Waitley)

Thanks. Now we have so-called experts training and branding other so-called experts. How do I deal with this?

Stuart

Absolutely. All those elements lead to our client’s experiences of us. And it’s out client’s, then, who decide if we’re experts or not.

All those people calling themselves ‘expert’ must have been listening to too many ‘branding’ experts.