How do you really know if you are talking to an expert?

From the movie “Catch me if you can”, story of world class “con man” Frank Abagnale, who then became a world-renowned expert on forgery. I am sure he ticked all five boxes in these questions!

Loved a post on LI this week from Justin Megawarne who posed the question: How do you really know if you are talking to an expert?

If you need an expert, it’s because you don’t know their field. But, by not knowing their field, you are robbed of the ability to evaluate the expert!

I have seen people get misled by supposed experts touting fancy credentials, useless experience (10 years’ experience is not the same as 1 year ten times), impressive client lists, blogs, vlogs, quotes, and other very hackable things. There is no perfect procedure. But these 5 tips are a good sniff.

1. Follow up on client references, and ask about real, measurable outcomes. Real experts contextualise their knowledge to solve people’s actual problems.

2. Ask the expert to explain something foundational in their field as if they were explaining it to a bright teenager. Real experts have great explanatory skills.

3. Ask them what new ground they are exploring at the moment. If the answer is “nothing”, be suspicious. Real experts are always pushing at the limits of their knowledge.