We're Looking To Hire An Expert
My wife and I recently decided to rewatch The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies. We’ve taken them in small doses over time in evenings before bed or on the weekend. If your not in the know, in the first of The Hobbit movies, An Unexpected Journey, Gandalf the grey has gathered a company of dwarfs in the home of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit. The goal of this gathering; to take back the dwarves home from a dragon that had taken from them. The purpose of the hobbit is to bring someone that could sneak in undetected. At one point in the conversation Bilbo observes that it would take an expert burglar to accomplish this task and when asked if he were this expert, his immediate response to this query is no. At this point on of the dwarves who’s hard of hearing exclaims, “he says he’s an expert” in a very jovial way.
Obviously this is a comical look at this idea but I also don’t think it’s that far off when we look at this idea of having an expert help us in our businesses and ministries. Webster defines an expert as, “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.” Obviously there are people in a variety of fields that many would look at and consider them to be experts in their fields but I would take that a step further and say that has to do with a couple things. I believe it has to do with that persons time in their field and the credibility they have within it. I think the dilemma with the idea of an expert is we too often see them as an end all, be all when it comes their “expertise.”
Recently I watched Carey Nieuwhof in a video series on leadership and he made this statement when it comes to an expert that really got me thinking. He said, “an expert is someone not from where you’re from.” My initial response to this was a bit of a chuckle but it’s such an accurate statement. We don’t call the guy from around the corner, we fly someone in from across the nation.
Let me be clear, I’m not trying to take away from coaches and consultants that have the word expert on their business cards or website. There’s a massive need for people with credibility and experience in all sorts of fields that can and will speak back into others. I would like to challenge us to seek advice and authority from every place and person that can speak into us. Just like anything and anyone, we have to weigh advice and expertise against the truth.
Yes, hire your expert, both from far and near and as much as you can be an “expert” to someone else in your field. Use your experience and knowledge to grow others. That’s what leadership is ultimately all about, moving people forward. Stay the course, you have what it takes.