Expertise, Eloquence and Enterprise

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning continuous improvement. It sits well with our natural self-actualising drive to want more, to be better, to improve, and make the most of life. And it is equally relevant in your personal and professional life. I explain the value of Kaizen in my courses Resilience – How to be Mentally Tough and Personal Mastery

?Any professional organisation has a requirement for continuing education. Here in NZ there are various professional institutes for managers, financial advisors, directors, chartered accountants, various therapists, lawyers, etc... The list is almost endless. Often done on a point’s scheme, the members must accrue a certain number of points/credits to remain in good standing and a practicing member of the institute. This all makes perfect sense as new competencies are always being developed – and skills do naturally deteriorate or can sadly morph into something un-useful unless we keep ourselves in check.

?However, beyond what is ‘required’, many are so passionate about their chosen field that they naturally extend and better themselves beyond ‘necessity’. Experts and high performers develop skills and attributes that contribute to their excellence. And it’s no different for you in your personal life; don’t you want to be the best you can as a parent, friend, sports or social club team member? It’s only natural, isn’t it?

?In any context, there are three sets of skills that you need to develop;

?·?????? Expertise / Purpose

·?????? Eloquence / Proficiency

·?????? Enterprise / Profit

?Expertise – is knowing your stuff, having expert/in-depth knowledge on the content material. But to pick a subject to specialise in and learn it inside out, it must align with your values or else you’ll never keep at it. To become the specialist, the ‘go-to’ person for those who need an expert in whatever it is you do, you’ve got to love it intrinsically, whether it’s your work, home life or hobby. This is doing with purpose what you want.

?Eloquence – is becoming the ‘best version of you’ as an athlete, a boss, parent, friend, etc., having the right mindsets and becoming highly skilled in your relational and communication skills. Eloquence is also continually working on and refining your domain skills, this is kaizen. This is doing with precision what you want.

?Enterprise – is how well you get yourself out there; your selling, marketing or self-promotion. It’s about niche marketing to those who specifically need what you are an expert in. Maybe you don’t think this is relevant to parenting or social contexts? Well, you want ‘buy-in’ and respect from your kids, teammates and friends, don’t you? Otherwise, they’ll not listen to your expertise and eloquence. Enterprise is what leads to you making a difference in the world.

?There are many individual goals that can be set within each of these areas. But they must align with your values, abilities and resources. A good coach will help you clarify your values and intentions, and support you in achieving these goals.

?So, now over to you. Here are some self-coaching questions for your own personal development;

?Expertise –

·?????? Where do you want to excel? As what? At what? Where? When? With whom?

·?????? What are you so passionate to know/learn about that it gives your life purpose and meaning (work, sports, parenting)?

·?????? What do you love and want to know more about?

·?????? Where do you want to be the expert?

·?????? Get a notebook and set some goals around learning.

?Eloquence –

·?????? What do you need to get better at?

·?????? Where can you become more elegant? (communicating to your kids, employees, etc.)

·?????? What seemingly unrelated areas can you master that will make your expertise and eloquence in your chosen arena even better?

·?????? What do you need to improve? What else? …and what else again?

·?????? In your notebook, define and put in order of importance the things you need to improve. Set some goals for doing these.

?Enterprise –

·?????? Who do you need to talk to, or with?

·?????? Whose help do you need to achieve your goals?

·?????? Who would benefit from you achieving your goals?

·?????? Who do you most want to influence? (kids, staff, fans, bosses, clients)

·?????? In your notebook, list these people and develop a plan to speak with them.

??As you answer these questions, you can start to develop an overall vision and mission for making your life truly meaningful. For more on vision and mission towards high-performance, check out Resilience – How to be Mentally Tough. But remember, these are just initial questions to get you started – they’ll lead to deeper questions. If you want help delving deeper, contact me for some one-on-one coaching.