I had a call with a prospective client last year who struggled in a very particular way.
She had a consistent, reliable 1-on-1 coaching business serving her ideal clientele.
Except, that was as far as she was able to take her work.
Because, as you can imagine, by solely working 1-on-1 she was limited to the hours she had in the day.
This haunted her, for she knew in her heart of hearts that her work could be bigger than it was.
She wanted to know how to leave a legacy behind.
Well, we started working together.
As of this writing, she has since signed several multi-six-figure contracts with major organizations.
And she’s brought on more than a dozen new people to fulfill these contracts.
So, not just 1-on-1 work anymore.
She knew her work could be bigger, and it turns out she was right.
Why the transformation? Because when we had our initial meeting she was afflicted with The Expert’s Curse.
The Expert’s Curse is Everywhere
While my client’s transformation is exceptional, her struggle actually wasn’t.
Every single person who has come to me in the last 5 years also had The Expert’s Curse.
But what is it?
If you’re an expert, you’ve invested 10,000 or more hours of your life to developing a supreme level of competence so as to be able to solve a problem for others.
Perhaps you help others make a living. Or become healthier. Or improve their relationships.
Whatever it is, you’ve dedicated your life to knowing and understanding things that other people don’t.
And you’ve seen what amazing things can happen when you’re given a chance to share all of that insight with others.
But you become afflicted with The Expert’s Curse when you forget what it’s like to not know something.
You’ve devoted so much of your life to becoming an expert that you no longer speak about it in a way that other people will understand and want more of.
The Expert’s Curse is the false belief that the more of your expertise you provide to others the more they’ll want what you have.
But people don’t want your expertise.
They want change.
And your ability to attract people to your expertise rests within your ability to convince them that change is possible.
5 Signs You Have The Expert’s Curse
However, just because every single person who has come to me in the last 5 years also had The Expert’s Curse doesn’t guarantee that you do as well.
Below are 5 signs you have The Expert’s Curse too.
1. Audiences tune you out.
It happens at pretty much every speech I see these days. A speaker gets started on stage and within moments people take out their phones and do pretty much anything else other than listen.
This can not only feel disheartening and even humiliating, but it means that all of the effort and time you put into being a speaker is wasted.
2. You post things and hear crickets.
Between social media content, articles, and blog posts, as an expert you likely create a lot of content in any given year.
But because these platforms don’t usually promote content organically anymore, it’s tough to get anyone to notice anything.
And, like with the failed speaking, all of that effort to put the content out there becomes futile to the point that you could have invested that time into something that actually helped your bottom line.
3. People flee from conversations with you.
If you’re at a networking event, a conference, or some other environment among people who might need your help, it will be of value if they hear what you do and want to know more.
But if you have The Expert’s Curse, you tell people what you do and they get the hell out of there.
4. You’re ignored by publishing people.
If you wish to get a book deal, you’ll need to impress an agent enough to get them to represent you.
Except that less than 1% of people who submit to publishers actually get a deal.
Yet around 40% of the book proposals I’ve helped authors with have gotten deals with major publishers, including Penguin Random House and HarperCollins.
The Expert’s Curse will prevent you from getting a response as well as impressing other gatekeepers like podcast hosts and media professionals.
But breaking the curse creates a surprising amount of interest.
5. You’re stuck.
Like my client, you know in your heart of hearts that you have something of significant value to offer to others.
But no matter what you try, you can’t seem to get the word out about it.
And because the clock is ticking on your career, there’s not a whole lot of time to turn things around.
How to Leave a Legacy Behind
The good news is that there’s an antidote to The Expert’s Curse.
It’s helped my people to get better speaking gigs, book deals, and, like my client above, major contracts.
But it’s helped with something even more profound as well.
The confidence that they’re not kidding themselves – that this work isn’t actually futile and can make a meaningful difference in the world around them.
It’s helped them to get unstuck.
It’s helped them to build their legacy.
Check out this free training on this antidote to see how it can help you as well.
