We’ve come to the last of this 4-part installment (here's where you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). I hope you’ve found it helpful, and that you’re getting more comfortable with the idea of declaring your expertise. Especially for women, standing up for your expertise through strategic and intentional communication is a powerful action that can help you take a huge leap forward in your career. When I work with groups of Executives and professional women, I can see and feel how much expertise they carry with them wherever they go. Helping them find the language for it, and seeing their expertise make an impact in the world, is my favorite part of my job.
The fourth Language of Expertise strategy that I want to talk about today is the Language of Future Prediction. Experts are not stuck in the past. They certainly draw from it, especially as it relates to the larger context of their expertise. They also keep current with whatever is going on right now, and can speak in great detail about those issues in a way that gains our trust (see parts 1-3 of this series in the links above).
But experts also use the Language of Future Prediction to tell us what may come to pass in their field, their sector and their industry. These predictions are usually high-level hunches based on their skills, experience, knowledge and wisdom. They can spot trends and predict how those trends will affect the next phase of their company. They look outside their sector for clues about larger market trends, and can point to areas of undeveloped growth. They can interpret obscure bits of data that point to otherwise invisible trajectories. They can see months and years ahead, and paint a picture of what the future will look like in a way that immediately has the ring of truth. They also use the Language of Future Prediction to position themselves inside the future, as key decision makers with intelligence, insight and vision to spare.
Throughout this entire 4-part series on the Language of Expertise I’ve reminded you that it’s about building trust, not just with key stakeholders, but with Senior leadership, your peers, and those who may want to work with you, or for you, in the future. The reason it works so well is because by using the Language of Expertise, especially the Language of Future Prediction, you are signaling to the world that you believe in yourself, and that you are strong and confident enough to carry the weight of leadership.
Many women are frightened of declaring their expertise and moving into positions of leadership because of the increased (and sometimes vicious) scrutiny that is applied to female leaders in almost every sector and industry. This double-standard is real, and it is one of the many reasons why women are stalled at levels below those where they actually belong.
I’ve noticed that many of my clients who are comfortable using the first three Language of Expertise strategies will often balk at using the fourth one, the Language of Future Prediction. They are afraid of making a great big public mistake, one that will follow them everywhere, and undermine the forward trajectory of their career.
But in fact, experts can roll with the punches, and are able to pivot quickly from mistakes, absorbing new data and course-correcting accordingly. This is actually part of the privilege of being an expert: the ability to change your mind whenever you want. Retracting your mistake and course-correcting in public can certainly be scary, but when done skillfully, this process can actually help people trust you even more, as they recognize that you are open and receptive to new ideas and new ways of thinking, not stuck in old and outdated ones.
In any case, now more than ever, we desperately need women experts to declare themselves in every sector and industry. As you embrace this process, I strongly recommend that you find (or create) a community of fellow female experts that you can be close to, and share resources with. Pushing beyond sexist narratives of how women should and should not appear in professional spaces is going to take a lot of energy and stamina, and sharing the burden with women who have been through it will greatly help you on your journey.
Lastly, in order for women to actually shape the future, we need to speak publicly about our predictions and our vision for it. Staying silent won’t get us there. Women, I implore you: seize the mantle of your expertise, use these techniques, and make the world understand that you are well-qualified to lead us into a future that we can believe in.
I give Power Communication trainings to groups of professionals and Executives at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Columbia Bank, Carharrt and Kimpton Hotels, both remotely and in person. Contact me for more info about my trainings, rates and availability. I love hearing from you!