Random musings about goats and experts and the “beginner mindset”…
Years ago when someone asked Michael Jordan if he was “The G.O.A.T.” (=“Greatest Of All Time”), his answer resonated. I paraphrase: “It’s not up to me to make that determination, it is up to the fans.”
Or something like that.
Similarly, what makes someone an “expert”?
I’ll never forget how a shipmate back in the Navy once defined it: “Whoever in the room has the most knowledge about a given topic is the expert.”
If you accept that definition, then “expert” is a relative term.
Extending that logic, no matter how much knowledge I might believe I have about a given subject, somewhere, someone knows more about it than I do.
For this reason, you will never see the word “expert” in my profile. It is a label for clients to bestow or not bestow on me.
And the more I interact with fellow “Japan-hands,” the more it confirms my belief that I have no business calling myself an expert.
In lieu of expert, I prefer the Japanese expression “beginner’s mind” (初心) because it keeps me humble and hungry to learn. For this reason and more, I aspire to associate with folks who can teach this old dog new tricks. (I wish y’all could meet my friends, some of the most humble, talented, and intelligent people you could meet.)
In my professional niches (cross-cultural management, hospitality/customer service, manufacturing, communication training, etc), I certainly have unique life experiences and communication skills that past clients valued and were willing to pay for.
But I have met so many people over the years who have expanded my knowledge about Japanese culture, even within my own niches. Even more so since I moved back to Japan six years ago.
So I cringe when I see fake-it-til-you-make it folks proclaiming their expertise here or elsewhere. Personally, I assign more credibility to people who are (to quote Confucius) “modest in speech, but exceed in action.”
If you want to virtually meet some of the talented folks who continually remind me of how much I have to learn, check out Maya Matsuoka and my podcast every Wednesday morning at 8:00am JST (simultaneously streaming on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Clubhouse) where we discuss issues related to Japanese business culture.
© Tim Sullivan 2024
Intercultural Twilight Zone 