Becoming a Guru - Transforming Yourself Within and Without - Is a Three-Step Process
Suppose that you already have the first and most important quality for being a "guru" - and that is that you already are a "guru" - at least in one sense or another.
How to know?
- You make the calls: When your colleagues are trying to decide on a point that involves your realm of expertise, they either consult you for the final "deciding opinion," or in a group conversation, your point sways the group consensus. (And of course, you back up your point with solid facts and figures, or well-researched knowledge, or substantial practical experience.)
- You're the "go-to" expert for difficult cases: Even the best of your colleagues will - when faced with something just a bit too tricky or challenging - will refer a client or case to you. Or they'll consult with you before they take further action.
- Many of your conversations turn into coaching sessions: With a surprising number of family, friends, and colleagues, your conversations turn into mini-"coaching sessions." This is a particularly good indicator if you are not yet an "official guru" - that is, you're not yet being paid for your expertise. But the fact that in so many of your conversations you are giving away what many others charge for is a good indicator that you are on your way to creating financial value from your knowledge, also.
If you recognize yourself in even one of these cases above, you either are or are well on your way to being a "guru." Now, our goal is simply to help you get there faster, more solidly, and more directly than you would have envisioned earlier.
This blog will take you through the process.
In addition, this blog will serve as a resource - pointing you to the BEST of other blogs, books, websites or articles, and other material that will help you get where you really know you should be. And do to this as calmly, sanely, and expeditiously as possible.
In addition, this blog will help you "cut through the chaff." There are a lot of recommendations out there. What you need is not more ideas, but rather, a sorting and a prioritization of these ideas - creating a comprehensive strategy instead of a grab-bag of "things that must be done."
Most of all, this blog will guide you through the inner transformations that are needed for you to really become - in the world at large - the "guru" that you already are inside. And it is this inner transformation that is most vital and most necessary. More to the point, it is when people - very highly skilled, talented, competent people; let's call them "proto-gurus" or "gurus-in-the-making" - fail to complete their inner work that they of course fail to manifest their "guru-ness" in the external world.
In short: The inner processes are where the real work is done. The outer work - no matter how many tasks are involved - is mechanical. It's just "filling in the form."
So how do you go from being a recognized "expert" and everyone's favorite "go-to" person to being a "guru"?
Three steps:
- Formalize and make available a useful chunk of your knowledge: This means taking the time (if need be, taking the time off) to write the book, produce the DVD, or do whatever it takes to put whatever it is that you coach or teach "out there" for others to access. This is an absolutely necessary first step. There are all sorts of ways to go about this - and these will be the subject of many future blogposts. But as a first step, you must produce something.
- Gain recognition and endorsements from your new "peer group": There's a lot of people who are offering advice, coaching, or "expert services" - in every possible area of expertise. The only way to distinguish yourself is to get endorsements from others who are already "gurus" - or from totally objective sources who pride themselves on providing unbiased, impartial reviews.
- Go public with your guru-ness: The self-promotion process really starts. You may have been comfortable, up until now, with being the "back-office expert." You were known to a small, highly select handful. Your managers relied on your expertise. Now, you have to step forward and be "front and center" all by yourself. Scary? Yes, for yourself and for others. Those who thought they had you "boxed in" are not going to like this step. You must do it anyways.
In summary: the process of going from "proto-guru" (knowledge expert, and valuable resource to your colleagues and peers) to a full-fledged, stand-above-the-crowd, for-real "guru" means that you will:
1) Produce something tangible that communicates your expertise, 2) Gain recognition, endorsements, and testimonials from the leading members of your community, and 3) Go public, sharing the value of your "guru-insights" with the world.
Each step is challenging. Each step involves much more of a inner transformation than would possibly be expected. Each step, in fact, may involve a huge upheaval (or at least a significant distortion) of your life as you know it.
Further, at each step, you'll have resistance. The outer resistance (a boss or colleagues who feel threatened, a spouse who is worried about the loss of income while you're "producing" and "promoting") will be reflections of your own inner resistance. Your own inner resistance is a manifestation of deep, core wounds and insecurities - and you'll have to work through them to get to the next stage.
The result?
In your new realm of "guru-ness," you'll be able to help far more people. You will directly benefit others through your knowledge - whether these are colleagues or clients. You will (of course, and this is part of why you're doing this) make far more money. In particular, you will separate yourself from the dependence on a single job or job role. You will have achieved the crucial objective of "stepping out from the herd."
And once you've done this, you'll be able to counsel far more effectively. You'll be able to guide others out of herd-mentality. Not everyone will listen to you, of course. But those who can, will hear.
And in these dramatically changing times, that is what each of us needs.
To your health, prosperity, and overall abundant well-being -
yours, Alianna
