No matter how good you think you are at something, you’re not really that good until:
- You can explain it in clear, concise terms
- Someone else reviews your work and agrees
- Someone reviews your work, disagrees, and you’re able to explain why you do what you do
I’m not saying everyone will agree with an expert’s work, but an expert is able to hear the reviewer’s point of view, understand it, and explain why the two people are coming to different conclusions.
Public communication isn’t necessarily the first step to becoming an expert, but it’s one of the required steps, and it’s not going away. When you’ve mastered the technical side of what you do, it’s time to start working on the communication side.
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I’m not always allowed in public. But when I am, I agree wholeheartedly. 🙂
I agree, until you can teach something to someone else you cannot be considered an expert. The key to your last bullet is not being able to explain when questioned, but having the confidence in yourself/you knowledge to not feel attacked by the question(s)
Excellent Brent, “you’re able to explain why you do what you do” , this is what I did after my first change rejection in three years at my current company . Thank you for motivating the SQL community with your expert guidance.
You’re welcome, glad I could help!