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You may have seen our video about the mythical but influential "Normal Expertise Line".
If so, you'll have seen how the best rewarded technicians, who have the most fun too, have stepped up from the line - or never recognised it in the first place.
If not - take a look here
Having spoken with a number of clients recently, I was struck by how wary some folks are about moving off the line. Even when they understand that it doesn't exist!
And it's much easier than you think. For at least 3 reasons:
Actually- before we get into those reasons, let's just check again why you would even contemplate trying. Perhaps some combination of:
- Get your technical work done even better
- Boost your credibility as a leader and prepare for promotion
- Stand up better to the most influential leaders in your organisation
- Set yourself apart from the crowd as a highly valued colleague
- Boost your employability and career security
- Take more control of the kind of work you do (and how much!)
You will have your own unique goals and reasons for wanting to become better at influencing people.
Importantly - you know that it's possible for you, and that it will make a big difference for you.
1. The Rarity of your Insight
Remarkably few of your colleagues and peers will be doing what you are.
Most are content to stick with their small handful of tactics that seem to get them through somehow.
Unlike you, they haven't realised that they are allowed to boost their people skills. Perhaps they don't even think it's possible. Perhaps they believe that they have to specialise in working with people OR technology. They're not stupid. They just haven't yet challenged the Normal Expertise Line.
So getting ahead takes relatively little effort. It's easy. Because the rest of the pack are not moving.
2. The Rarity of your Intent
Of the people who see the potential, relatively few actually do anything about it. Many factors here -
fear, habit, confidence, whatever.
Your intent to actually do something about moving up from the line is rare.
So once again, you find that there's less competition than you think. It's easy to get ahead of your peers if most of them are immobile, even if some of them face in the right direction occasionally.
You are the one who's taking practical steps, trying stuff out, making progress and seeing real benefits.
3. It's Evolution, Not Revolution.
You can make changes as gradually as you like. Just add a new tactic here and a new concept there. Play with them and make them work, then add some more.
You probably learned your technical expertise in the same way. You found helpful concepts and put them into practice a few at a time. You did extra learning when faced with a new technical challenge or opportunity. And it can be the same with your new people skills. It's easy because you've learned like this before.
You don' t need to make a sudden and complete caterpillar-into-butterfly change. You can remain "you". Just a more capable and more confident you. Still a technical expert. And a technical expert who's also good at dealing with the boss, the team, the customer and the director.
The choice is yours.
You can go and sit back down there on the imaginary line if you wish.
But if you've read this far, you're probably ready to step further up from the line and make a difference for yourself.
Come and try it out now - Sign Up for Membership of technicalinfluence.com
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