False Expertise

When last checked, there were 987,119 “Thought Leaders” on LinkedIn. It won’t be long until there will be a million or more.  How many of these self-titled “Thought Leaders” do you dare trust with your company’s marketing?

Spiker Insights

“False expertise” is misidentified competence. We all perceive expertise where there is none; or evaluate expertise based on our own individual bias. Some of the most creative writing is potential employees’ and marketing firms’ self-promotion copy.  They have done everything from curing cancer to inventing a new process to ensure sales results.

Rooting out false expertise, in your head or through others, isn’t easy. The past is not always a great predictor, you have to see the work, understand the process, don’t believe all the credentials, and ignore the stack of impressive logos they have worked on in the last 25 years.  It all comes down to a handful of people; and you need to not only like them, but also respect them and their passion for the next challenge.