The Expert's Paradox

“Stick to what you know.”

That’s an oft-repeated mantra in the business world. It sounds like good advice, and sometimes it is. If you stick to what you know you’re almost certainly going to do a great job. Colleagues will enjoy working with you and clients or customers will be thrilled.

You’re a plumber who specializes in toilet-installation? Only accept toilet-installations, turn down the other gigs, and you’ll have nothing but rave reviews on Yelp.

You’re an accountant who really excels at small business tax returns? Just do that! When the big corporate firm calls you, turn down that giant paycheck and sleep soundly knowing that you’re the best at what you do, and you’ll never disappoint anyone.

Niché down, so they say. Find a thing and specialize deeper and deeper until you’re such an expert that you’re the go-to person for that exact, specific thing.

What could be worse than a “jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none?”‍

Having it Both Ways

On the other hand, it feels a little bit like “stay in your lane.” Don’t fly too high. Don’t mingle above your pay-grade.

How could you possibly improve yourself or your work if you never try new things? No one is ready the first time they try something. The small business accountant specialist might be a whiz at corporate accounting and not even know it. She might be able to surprise and delight a whole new group of people with her diligence - but she’ll never find out and they’ll never benefit if she sticks to what she already knows.

And therein lies the paradox of expertise. You can’t become an expert by sticking to what you know; there’s too much new stuff to learn. But obsessive repetition is what makes you an expert.

My advice?

When in doubt, err on the side of gaining new experiences. If someone asks you to do work that’s outside of your area of expertise, and it’s something you’d really like to try your hand at it, be upfront. Tell them it’s not your area but you’re really passionate about it, then create a plan together. Approach it like a team effort with the customer or client.

You’ll find people are usually happy to work with someone who is passionate, motivated, and honest.

Win-win.