In 2008, the world economy grew weak at the knees. Not a single economist predicted the problems that would send earth-economics into a wobble for the next few years, and on those grounds, there has been a backlash of bad sentiment against industry experts. 

‘How useful are they really? They can’t even predict the future,’ critics assert. On this one criterion alone, public discourse has turned a little ‘anti-expert.’ 

I don’t see the problem. Personally, I’ve never thought of experts as psychics and soothsayers. I think of an industry expert in a number of other ways. Experts are people who: 

-        Blaze a trail forward by doing

-        Teach others by being leaders

-        Set the tone by sticking their necks out

-        Determine how an industry should go (not how it will go); and

-        spread knowledge, wisdom and information. 

I continue to advocate positioning yourself as an expert as the surest route to adding an extra zero to your income. Worried about the populist anti-expert backlash? Don’t pretend to be able to see the future. Nobody can. But it’s not important that you should. 

Instead, teach, lead, help, grow, share, speak, write, comment upon, innovate and pioneer… Be a face and a voice in the public consciousness, and you can own your industry.