I am a strong proponent of transparency and honesty. Especially when offering my services to potential business partners:

• I think there are many things that I do reasonably well
• I think there are a couple of things that I do very well
• I think there is a maximum of 1-3 things that I do exceedingly well

But expert in something? Better than any other human being on earth in something? Or at least part of a select group that knows it all? Such that I could write a book on the subject and actually sell it? Maybe, but I am certainly unsure about it. And I would most assuredly hesitate a lot before telling anyone that I am an expert at anything.

I once read an interesting article on this very subject on the Consultant Journal blog. It kind of confirmed what I thought: if you truly are an expert in a field, you should let your actions speak for themselves! If you truly are an expert, people will notice; they won’t need to be told. In fact, if they are anything like me, the more they hear someone claiming to be an expert in something, the more doubts they will have about that person’s abilities.

Here’s another, funnier, reason that should make you hesitate to tell anybody you are an expert: The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch). I discovered it via Seth Godin’s always excellent blog (a source of daily inspiration for me and many others).