If you know even a little more about a topic than others, you can teach, and you can charge money for your insights.

By definition, experts tend to spend a great deal of time 'showing the way.' This might entail pioneering, or it might entail teaching. But that's not the only way forward...

Last week, there was a minor explosion on my own industry's horizon. Perhaps you saw it. Comedian and professional speaker Nicole Arbour, who is rough as nails but highly entertaining, called out a motivational speaker named Jay Shetty for plagiarism.

Here is a simple list of expert-positioning actions. We are now into the 8th month of this year. Take a look over the list, and next to each item, assign a number corresponding to your own production.

Let’s assume your goal is to become the leading name in stamp-collecting. One of the most powerful ways to achieve that is to write a book on the topic, which helps to position you as an expert. But here is an important caveat: It’s not enough to simply write ‘another look at.’ You can do better.

What’s the most ridiculous thing about your industry? Something you’ve always found slow, silly or senseless? The thing that makes you frown and say, ‘There must be a better way’?

I’ll never forget the day my agent, and now good friend, changed the course of my career. I asked her the question, “What is the most effective thing I can do to elevate my career?” Her unhesitating answer was to write a book, and the impact this insight has made upon my career is inestimable.

A plethora of books explore the importance of trust. Business at the Speed of Trust is just one of the better ones. Historical lecture series on the origins of humanity often point to ‘trust’ as one of the necessary conditions for civilisational advancement.

Announcing my newest book with Penguin! Poverty Proof - 50 Ways to Train Your Brain for Wealth, is now out.

Are you bored but brilliant? Try this:
 What happens when you’re talented at what you do, but bored with the whole thing? Stephen King, who has written 56 novels to date (and 86 books in total), is inarguably one of the most prolific practitioners of his craft. He proposes this solution: Try the same thing in a different medium.  King credits writing illustrated comic books, and getting involved in script adaptations for the movie-versions of his books, with helping to keep the creative fires burning. The change in channel made a difference. And he didn’t have to depart from his core competence, writing horror and thriller stories, in order to do it.  If you write books, how about trying your hand at a creative essay? If you write essays, how about a book? If you record songs in a studio, how about a live performance? And if your particular talent could possibly lend itself to travel, how about a roadshow? Becoming an expert is about longevity, which means you must find ways to sustain your own interest in what you do. Why now award yourself a new ‘toy’ to play with, in order to keep it fresh? Reignite your own creative vitality through a little lateral tinkering, and you could own your industry.  Douglas Kruger is a multiple award-winning speaker, focusing on innovation and expert positioning. Books like his, ‘They’re Your Rules, Break Them!’ are bestsellers informing his conferences speeches for leadership audiences. Book him as the motivational speaker for your next event at www.douglaskruger.com.

Low budget horror movies are hit or miss. Yet you don’t actually need Avatar-levels of affluence to make a successful scary movie. The same applies to positioning yourself as an industry expert.

Writing a book helps to position you as an industry expert. It increases your credibility, it clarifies your own thinking on the topic, and it leads naturally to media and marketing opportunities.

In your industry, what could you offer or emphasise as your point-of-distinction that might create this clever dynamic? Why would it be a risk to go with anyone other than you?

I’ve just finished recording the audio version of another of my books. I’ve been thinking about how gruelling it feels, because the sensation tends to catch me off guard every time, like a mother who forgets how difficult childbirth really was, then opts to go through it all again.

If you're paying attention, truly listening, clients tell you what's important to them. Pick up on these cues and use them in your marketing, and you can start hitting all the right notes in your marketing.

A friend and I were discussing how to write business books. We both write, speak and train for the corporate market, and producing thought-leadership material is immensely beneficial for our careers. His question to me was an interesting one: 'Where do I find enough corporate examples to fill a book?' The answer is: 'You don't have to.'

Jumping on the band-wagon and being ‘another one who’ tends to make you invisible as an expert. Can you see something original that can be done in the opposite direction?

Your workload has been astounding. It's felt like you're catapulting through your calendar, just trying to breathe. But suddenly, the momentum dies down, the clouds part, and you find yourself with an open week. Given that block of time, what could you do that might significantly propel your career goals? Professional Speaker and business author Douglas Kruger explores a simple way to maximise your time and effectiveness. Book Douglas as the keynote speaker for your next leadership retreat: www.douglaskruger.com.

High-performing experts make the extraordinary seem routine. What's difficult and taxing for others has really become easy to them. But therein lies a danger and an opportunity.

‘How did you do that? And how do you even know how to do that?’ If you’ve heard this phrase in response to performance of your craft, you are meeting one of the best recognised criteria for an expert. By this definition, you are an individual who can ‘recognise novel patterns from noise.’