Sharing your professional expertise not only helps others, it also helps you.
It forces you to review what it is you actually do.
When you have been working at your job, whether it is your own company or as part of a team for some time, your knowledge and experience can seem repetitive and automatic. Thinking about how you would tell someone else about what you do, invites a new fresh perspective.
It establishes your reputation as an authority.
Nobody wants to listen to someone boasting about how expert they are, but sharing your knowledge so that others raise their expertise, you position yourself as a valuable thought leader.
It increases your value.
Your experience and knowledge comes from years of hard earned lessons. Keeping it all to yourself is selfish – you gain nothing from it, but sharing the wealth not only helps others but expands your perspective on your own work and expertise. Other people have insights that can help you, younger people offer newer ideas and technology – everybody gains something and as your reputation grows, so will your value in all ways.
Mentorship.
We recently had the pleasure of a return visit to a local high school to share our story with the 10th graders there. Newbies with lots of options, they need these stories to plant a seed and as they move ahead and their futures become clearer, hopefully the seed will start to grow. It is a rewarding way to share your knowledge.