There are a lot of folks out there who like to claim knowledge in their respective field. My own personal experience has led me to distinguish two different kinds of experts: Collectors and Creators.
The more common of the two are the Collectors.
Collectors are, as the name suggests, collectors of information. They scour the web, books, and periodicals – looking for information, and then they go about republishing it as their own. No, they aren’t actually plagiarizing – rather, collecting large chunks from here and there, and then inferring some level of expertise via their articles, newsletters, etc. Metaphorically-speaking, a Collector is someone who would take a half-can of vegetable soup, mix it with a half-can of chicken soup, and then call it “vegetable chicken soup.”
Creators are different.
Creators are (using the soup metaphor again) creating their own soup – using ingredients that they believe will create a terrific product. Creators are rare. Creators don’t simply take what’s accepted to be the “final word” on a topic, and then go about repackaging. No way.
A Creator is less focused on “actions,”
and more focused on RESULTS.
A Creator is less focused on “activity,”
and more focused on PRODUCTIVITY
Many of the “experts” out there are Collectors. These may be dangerous folks to be listening to for the simple reason that their “talk” and their “walk” is constantly shifting. Here’s what I mean: A Collector might recommend that you participate on a certain social media site, yet – a few years down the road, will be heard saying something along the lines of “Back in 2009, I was recommending that everyone have a presence on X social media site, but today, everyone should forget about X site and have a presence on Y social media site.” The Collector will reframe his new mantra as “evolving,” but you and I know that their “evolution” is complete nonsense. They are simply playing “follow the leader.” They are waiting for the shift in the wind – after which they’ll report it to their followers (as their own).
As a Creator, my focus is directed toward RESULTS.
I’m going to use my HEADSPACE Seminar as an example of a Creator who is focused on results. Yeah – I know, a shameless plug for my seminar. But what the hell – this is MY blog, right? RIGHT.
My HEADSPACE Seminar isn’t designed to throw fluff in your face. That would be a waste of time. My goal is to build a better foundation so that everything that springboards from the ground level is just that much better. For example, if you are lousy in effectively communicating your message (to your spouse, children, friends, acquaintances, employees, co-workers, customers, or whoever), then it stands to reason that everything you say is going to sub-par (aka less effective).
Despite what you may have been taught, poor communication is not just a result of simply choosing the wrong words or selecting incorrect phrasing: “Honey, your wrinkles look very nice today!” Consistently poor communication comes from an underlying, under-optimized operating system. Not being able to “sell” your point or convey your message doesn’t mean that you need time with a counselor: You may just need a little mental tune-up.
Do you know people who seem to make a lot of bad decisions, and then blame everyone else for their problems? Do you know people who continually try to reinvent themselves, their business, and their lives? Sure – they could have some sort of psychological dysfunction OR it could also be the way they are going about approaching all aspects of their life.
As a Creator, my concern is for real-life change.
My experience with business professionals has shown me that, even with the best product or service in hand, a professional with a weak internal foundation is a professional who is going to be weak with regard to implementation. These folks don’t need a week-long getaway of hugs and rubs. What these folks need is knowledge and instruction.
The POINT is to watch out for information peddlers who are doing nothing more than reading and repackaging. There’s a lot of that kind of “stuff” out there, and just because it’s common does not mean that it’s right.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc