How to Establish Yourself as an Expert in the Eyes of Decisionmakers

Have you ever been frustrated by a decisionmaker who doesn't acknowledge your expertise and therefore doesn't take your advice? Or have you ever hesitated to brand yourself as an expert?

These may seem like two separate problems, but they're actually related. And if you've ever experienced either one, this episode is for you. 

I know so many nonprofit leaders who are otherwise totally confident, but if you ask them to declare themselves or present themselves as an expert on anything, they'll often say things like, well, I know a lot about the subject, but I'm not an expert. I don't know everything. There are people who know more than I do.

People trip themselves up all the time with this. The truth is there is no magic threshold for level of knowledge or experience that is the official entry point to status of expert. But there are some key ingredients to owning the expertise you have, and to getting decisionmakers to recognize and value that. And to see you as the expert you truly are.

In this episode, we share:

• The top two barriers to being seen as an expert by decisionmakers – and how to fix them
• Dealing with internal doubts about calling yourself an expert
• Why expert status is not determined by credentials alone
• Four questions to ask yourself to determine if you’re “expert enough” for a given decisionmaker
• Why being an expert doesn’t automatically mean decisionmakers see you as such
• How to become the expert that decisionmakers respect and rely on
• How relativity of expertise works for you

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