Recognition and Respect: How to Earn It
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell stated that it takes 10 years to become an expert in any given subject.
Many people actually reach this level. You might not be a professor or best-selling author, but you have probably worked long enough to become an expert in your given field – or you are on your way.
Yet, people having enough knowledge to qualify as a thought leader or expert do not get the recognition or credit they deserve – and often long for.
This is an interesting paradox. You work hard and at some point expect/hope to be perceived as an expert or thought leader, but it does not happen.
Why? The clutter of information and knowledge that surrounds us makes it so much more difficult to break through even if we have great, original ideas and an impressive knowledge base.
It is no longer enough just to qualify by knowledge to become an expert; you also need to know how to communicate and how to build a personal brand in order to become one.
I have spent more than 10 years on the topics of innovation and entrepreneurship. I am on the verge of breaking through and a recent incident prompted me to write this post and share my experiences and lessons as this might help others trying to figure out this paradox.
Obviously, this “topic” is too broad to be covered in just one post so I will start out by sharing a few tips on what to consider if you want to be perceived as a thought leader or expert and then most likely follow-up with more posts.
Passion: You need to be passionate about what you are doing. I hope that this one is already in place for people who qualify as experts. If you decide to spend ten years on a given topic or business area then I really hope you have a passion for what you are doing.
Actually, I would argue that you could not deliver quality work over such a long period if you do not have a passion for what you do. Nevertheless, I too often meet people doing things they do not really like doing. I just do not get this…
Persistence: I remember when I started blogging several years ago. Sure, people will just come and read my thoughts. Nothing happened. Then, I got a couple of articles published in Strategy & Innovation, a respected newsletter from Innosight. Sure, companies will start looking into my services now. Nothing happened.
I started to engage with Twitter and became quite adept on social media in general. This helped drive some traffic to my blog. Sure, companies would now approach me. Things began to happen although slowly which I hope is also due to the current crisis : – ). In May, I publish my first book, The Open Innovation Revolution by Wiley, a respected, international publisher. I am curious what will happen afterwards, but the lesson here is very simple.
Nothing happens if you are not persistent.
Build a following: You do great work and you want to share this with the world. You might even want other people to help you spread the word on your work. Today, this starts by understanding how social media works. Personally, I use LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube as I focus on business topics. Others might also benefit from building a strong presence on Facebook.
Co-create with others: I recently opened up 15inno.com for other contributions on open innovation. The reason for doing this is two-fold. I really believe that sharing what is happening in the open innovation community helps this movement to continue growing. The other reason is that helping others getting recognition most likely also benefits yourself in the long run.
Be honest and “share” yourself: I share private thoughts and lessons here. I do not have to, but I have learned that what many people really like is honesty as this reveals integrity, which again helps build authenticity. Thus, I also really appreciated this endorsement by Steve Shapiro, a great thought leader on innovation and business for my upcoming book:
“If you want ‘open,’ look no further. Stefan’s open and (sometimes brutally) honest account of open innovation is refreshing. There is no B.S., theory, or fluff. You only get practical advice for making open innovation a reality in your organization. Let the revolution begin.”
- Stephen Shapiro, Author, 24/7 Innovation; Chief Innovation Evangelist, InnoCentive
I am pleased by this as it really reflects my values of being open to helping others, working with a passion and being honest. You should try this approach as well.
What drives people to be perceived as a thought leader or expert? Money is probably on the list, but personally, my goal is to be able to work with things I feel passionate about, where I can continue to develop myself – and to get some recognition for this.
Can you relate to this? If so, then it would be great to hear about your experiences and insights…
You're right on target, Stefan — passion and persistence are the bedrock. Co-creation and collaboration share your knowledge & enthusiasm with others who feel the same way. And I have to agree with Steve Shapiro — I value your honesty in pointing out what works and what *doesn't* work in various companies' approaches to open innovation. That helps all of us learn and improve open innovation efforts.
Looking forward to your book in May!
Very valid points. You will also recognize that passion and respect go hand-in-hand. Passion and persistence gain you the initial respect, and the respect will make you more passionate.
From observing your blog, and the comments on your upcomming book, your persistence is now paying dividends. Good luck.
Stefan, you are one of the few that I read regularly for all of the reasons you note.
On the point of Subject Matter Expert (SME) – your discussions on innovation are insightful and leading – always gets me thinking and keeps the hope alive that we are advancing as civilizations. Our work revolves around innovation – in so many variations – it is the change that we foster.
And I can relate to your personal story above. Symphini is a manifestation of the belief that developing the capability to change is essential to the success of individuals, organizations and, even, communities. So yes, passion is a big part of our motivation. Communicating the real issues and benefits, and developing the brand – there lie the challenges. And it is not for the faint of heart – contagious and enthusiastic passion is likely the only fuel that can energize the bus. Thank you for reminding me.
There is a principle in Change Management, best explained in "It Starts with One": during change people get tired and forget where they are in the journey. This applies equally to those of us who have the "knowledge" – we must also "practice". Building a reputation is a long journey but if we occasionally reflect on how far we have come we can propel ourselves forward.
BTW, we occasionally promote great reads – if you are open to providing an incentive, perhaps sharing a chapter with our network, I would be happy to do so for you.
Thanks again. Gail
I love this article. It got me to think.
I realize that your post is on recognition and not "success," but there is one thing that might be useful to add to this list: "Value."
I don't mean money. I mean creating value for others. You can be an expert and have passion, but end up a "starving artist." If what you do is not valued by others, then it doesn't go anywhere. This is where innovation – and in particular customer-driven innovation – is so important. Being known as the best at something that people don't want is irrelevant.
I typically use a "passion, skills (expertise), value" model to describe what is needed to be successful (which I realize is different than the purpose of this article). You need to love what you do (passion), need to be good at it (skills) and create value for others (value). Interestingly, the expertise component is the least important because that is the easiest to source from others. Of course, if you want to be a famous singer, it would be difficult to get someone else to sing for you, unless you are Milli Vanilli – and that didn't turn out too well.
And I guess this leads to one last thought: expertise and respect/recognition are totally different things. The most well-known singers are not necessarily the best musicians. They are just the most well known. Distinguishing expertise/skills from recognition/respect is useful. Although at the end of the day, expertise is nice, it is recognition that makes the biggest difference. You are only an expert when people say you are an expert.
And Stefan, I say you are an expert on open innovation
My endorsement of your book is heartfelt. The book's core strength is its authenticity and honesty. It says what it was needed to be said.
P.S. You may want to read an article I wrote which addresses my passion, skills, value model – http://www.steveshapiro.com/2006/10/04/compass-dr…
Congratulations again on the book Stefan. I'm with you Steve on the value point, I try to use that to drive everything I do online, co-creation is at the heart of Blogging Innovation, and passion for innovation is what pulls me out of bed at 5:30am seven days a week.
Keep up the great work!
All the best,
Braden
(@innovate)
Hi Stefan,
Thank you for this blog, it was great.
Marco