Good leaders: just how much of an expert do they need to be?

It’s a question as old as leadership itself. Is it better to be the expert with a specialized knowledge of a particular field or someone with a more general approach who is familiar with several relevant fields?

Some argue that there has been too much emphasis towards the generalist managerial path. Others argue that it is impossible to be a true expert when the world changes so fast.

The Chinese said of generalists, “Equipped with knives all over, yet none is sharp”. And others point to generalists like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk as being exceptionally successful individuals at the head of hugely influential businesses.

Maybe we shouldn't base our conclusions on the behaviors of those who represent only a small fraction of the leaders working day in and day out. This makes us wonder: what about the rest of us and our careers?

Leading with expertise

There is no doubt that leaders have a significant impact on their teams and their performance.Gabriele Stahl, Partner at Odgers Berndtson Germany says

Naturally, we prefer to be led by individuals who truly understand the subject matter and can effectively demonstrate their understanding of key aspects within a particular area.

According to research by Professor Amanda Goodall and explained in detail in her book, The Power of Credible Expert Leaders, “…expert bosses have the greatest positive influence on employee happiness and retention—the effect was double that of earnings. Naturally, we want satisfied workers, but it’s also important because a growing number of studies show that happy workers are substantially more productive.”

What does an expert leader do well?

First of all, they understand the nature of an employee's job or a department's function. This helps them set and evaluate realistic goals and targets, design incentives, provide informed feedback, understand pain points and investment requirements, and provide the necessary talent and training support.

Expertise isn’t just an individual attribute; it can be the very core of an organization’s culture.

Professor Goodall suggests that in order to build a company of experts, the best organizations have a number of key characteristics in common:

Their company philosophy affirms the value of expertise and actively seeks to grow it.

They enable autonomy, organizational flexibility, whilst keeping bureaucracy to an absolute minimum. Line managers are given considerable freedom and responsibility, and in return must be highly accountable. Angela Blau, Principal at Odgers Berndtson Germany is convinced that

The best companies value diversity in every dimension, encouraging divergent thinking and experimentation. This must be accompanied by a tolerance for some failure. Disagreement, and the channels and environment for it, are encouraged.

In a hybrid world, the leaders of these companies find ways to create situations where experts collide, and unplanned interaction and collaborations can happen.

A continuous learning world

Finally, building a business of experts means promoting a culture of curiosity and continuous learning. This latter point is all-important. An expert one day can be overtaken by AI the next, so the idea of constant learning and development is a vital habit.

And learning should not simply be in narrow corridors either, a breadth of learning is essential. The versatility of skills is as important as the focus of the skill. Learning how to think is of equal importance to learning what to think.

Some suggest that leaders should apply the 80-20 rule to learning and development. Spend 80% of their energy to reinforce their particular specialty, but then use the remaining 20% to learn something different, but adjacent or complementary to their core concerns.

It is also important for leaders to get out of their usual environment to build relationships and networking in a way that connects them with the wider world. When they meet professionals in other specialties, or perhaps even other industries, they will absorb new ideas and measure whether their level of expertise and development is keeping pace with the world outside.

Stay humble

Sometimes it takes humility to honestly assess your own skills and identify your weaknesses. But it is the only way to prevent your knowledge from becoming outdated. While input from managers and colleagues is a good start, an outside independent point-of-view can also provide valuable insights.

Of course, we live in a world where it is becoming easier and easier to learn something outside your field of expertise. The quality of knowledge in every field has improved immeasurably, and the ways of learning have become more user-friendly and easier to fit into busy schedules.

There is a wealth of free or affordable content from the world's top experts in every medium - from YouTube videos to webinars. Leaders can easily find an online community of learners like themselves. If you value learning (as you should), are willing to invest in yourself and are disciplined enough to take control of your 'learning life', then there should be no stopping your journey.

Leading with expertise

Do you have the type of leaders who blend a strong level of expertise with an eagerness to always learn more. What indicators should you be looking for?

Our LeaderFit profile model can help provide just such a picture of those who may have the potential to succeed. Using a unique leadership assessment methodology that combines personality data, behavioral patterns and the judgement of leadership experts, we can paint a picture of individual performance in targeted leadership roles.

Our track record in assessing and developing leaders spans publicly traded companies, privately funded companies, and government/not-for-profit organizations.

To discuss your current talent plans, or your individual career trajectory and ambitions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ll be keen to hear from you.