Be an Expert and a Beginner at the same time
I interviewed a Berklee-trained music teacher, and his results were astonishing. He was overqualified to teach in a neighbourhood music school, but in hindsight, having a professional teacher in our school would be an advantage.
However, it was not a moment of rainbows and butterflies for me.
Being an expert in his field, he prefers to teach students who are going for higher-grade exams and professionals who want to dive into the music industry, turning their passion for music into a career. In reality, most of our students were kids who wanted to have fun, enjoying the music-making process rather than taking exams or classes professionally — extreme beginners.
Sadly, the Berklee graduate was not keen on returning to basics and teaching these kids. Therefore, he had only a few students and eventually quit.
Being an expert in your industry is wholesome, but at the same time, remembering how you got here and adapting to the beginner’s mindset is important, too.
Let me give you an example.
I make brand videos for businesses.
To create a successful video that helps my clients connect with their audience personally, I must stoop down to their level and understand their side of the story. As an industry expert, if I were to fill their glasses with information on my level, they might be unable to relate to what I am putting across the table.
Generally speaking, clients hire me to plan and create videos because they either need to learn how to do them or need more time. Instead, they would outsource such tasks and focus on the more important business side. In short, most of my job involves adapting the beginner’s mindset and understanding their problems, needs and wants.
On the other hand, some of my clients are well-versed in the video production industry, and adapting to the expert mindset is necessary in this scenario.
Once I understood this concept, it became easy for me to secure jobs and meet more clients. Being highly adaptive to my mindset as an expert or a beginner has helped me tremendously when it comes to connecting with my clients on different levels.
With this in play, I will take advantage of all opportunities.
Going back to the beginner’s mindset requires me to set aside my success stories or ego. This means I will have to serve clueless clients who need guidance and have yet to learn what they want or how having videos can impact their businesses. In reality, I enjoy serving clients like these because they remind me of the journey I’ve been through to reach who I am today.
In addition, seeing the smiles on their faces when the video is done and how it helped their business grow is highly fulfilling and purposeful.
Lastly, these clients gave me more jobs through word of mouth and recommendations.
Remember, at the end of the day, it is all about the opportunities. You will never know who you will meet or what will happen.
Adapting to different mindsets will open up more doors and make you a better creative person and service provider.
Thanks for reading!
