Making of an Expert

In the Disney movie FANTASIA, Mickey Mouse takes the role of the sorcerer’s apprentice. It is a story that dates back 2,000 years to a Middle Eastern tale of a powerful sorcerer and his apprentice who watches the master’s great feats and wants to learn the secrets of the magic.

The apprentice (Mickey Mouse) is consigned to perform menial tasks, including getting water from a well. But the apprentice aspires to be a great sorcerer himself (of course), and one night he borrows the sorcerer’s magic hat. He tries to cast a spell in order to animate a broom and get it to bring water for the household. At first, he is successful, and soon he begins to dream of becoming a great sorcerer and commanding the stars, the clouds, and the waves. The problem is, he can’t make the broom stop fetching water, and it begins to flood the house! In a panic, Mickey Mouse tries to hack the broom to pieces with an ax. But each fragment becomes a whole broom, and the army of brooms brings a deluge of water that flood the entire house. Just when it seems that there is no hope of controlling the spreading deluge, the sorcerer appears as dues ex machina, takes his hat back from the apprentice, magically dries up the flood, and restores the order. The sorcerer then chastises Mickey Mouse for mistaking technique for mastery and over estimating his powers.

In many ways, beginning a career and developing expertise as a doctor, engineer, advocate, teacher, HR manager, accountant, etc. resembles the story of the sorcerer’s apprentice.

Learning to become an expert is essentially learning what is involved in developing expertise. It’s only in the last ten years, however, that some of the most groundbreaking studies of expertise, and what makes a person an expert have taken place. K. Anderson Ericsson (2006), a leader in this area of research referred to expertise as, “the characteristics, skills and knowledge that distinguish experts from novices and less experienced people”.

What are these characteristics, skills and knowledge that distinguish experts from non experts? Chi (2006) says;

1. Experts detect and recognize features of a given problem
2. Experts are able to generate the best solution for a given problem
3. Experts seem to spend a lot of time analyzing a problem qualitatively, thus bringing in knowledge from within and outside their given field to apply to a problem
4. Experts are also able to engage in self-monitoring, thereby evaluating their progress more accurately
5. Experts are opportunistic; they make use of whatever information sources or resources are at their disposal and are able to choose effective strategies in problem solving while using minimal mental effort, compared with non experts or novices.

Put simply, experts are able to achieve better results because they bring together and use many seemingly intangible resources when they work, and they appear to do it effortlessly.  

How do Experts achieve expertise?

1. By their Passion
2. By their Deliberate Practice

Passion is the thing that will help us to create the highest expression of our talent. After spending a quarter century in pastoral life, I leaped into my passionate career, Clinical Psychology. I can tell you without hesitation, my career makes my heart singing.

Larry Smith says “You are afraid to pursue your passion. You’re afraid to look ridiculous. You’re afraid to try. You’re afraid you may fail. Why we fail to have a great career and expertise?

Many people are not doing what they are really passionate about; but they are doing “high-stress, blood-sucking, soul destroying” jobs. 

The second thing in the making of an expert is that of Deliberate Practice. We cannot move like sorcerer’s apprentice and there are no shortcuts to hard work.

1. Design a program to achieve expertise
2. Have a method for the practice to happen
3. Give feedback after measuring new changes in a conscious manner

Let us hope to demystify the seemingly unfathomable avenues of passion, practice and expertise.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” (Paulo Coelho)