I Am Bored Of The ‘Experts’!

Sep 26

3 min read

Can I say something that might get me into trouble?

I am bored of the “experts”.

Everyone is an expert.

Everyone is a strategist.

Everyone is a coach.

Everyone has a framework.

And apparently, everyone can teach you how to build a six-figure business before breakfast. 😂

Now, don't misunderstand me. I LOVE that the internet has democratised knowledge. There was a time when access to expertise was controlled by institutions, companies and people with impressive job titles. Today, someone sitting in their bedroom in Birmingham can learn from someone building a business in Dubai.

That's incredible.

But there's a downside. It's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between someone who knows and someone who simply knows how to post.

And I think we're about to see that change.

LinkedIn has been investing heavily in verification - helping people prove that they are who they say they are and increasingly adding signals around professional experience. Sounds like a boring platform update, right? I don't think it is. I think it's a sign of where we're heading. Because in a world where almost anyone can create a polished website, an impressive LinkedIn profile, a beautifully designed carousel and 25 authoritative-sounding posts before lunch...we're now going to start asking a different question.

Where are the receipts?

Show me what you've actually done.

AI can help you write the post.

It can polish your bio.

Build your presentation.

Create your content plan.

It can probably make you sound far more intelligent than you felt when you woke up this morning. But here's what it can't give you:

Experience.

What have you actually built? Who have you helped? What changed because you were in the room? What worked? What failed? What did you learn? And - perhaps most importantly - would the people you've worked with recommend you?

That's where I think personal branding is heading.

Less:

LOOK AT ME.

More:

HERE'S THE EVIDENCE.

And personally?

I'm here for it.

Your CV might be about to become sexy again.

There. I said it! We've spent years being told nobody cares about your CV anymore. And perhaps nobody wants the old two-page Word document listing every job you've had since 1997. But your body of work? Oh, that matters. Your experience matters. Your results matter. Your reputation matters. Your relationships matter. Even your failures matter, because anyone who has actually spent time building things knows that experience isn't a beautifully curated collection of wins.

So perhaps it's time to think less about your personal brand profile and more about your

Proof Portfolio:

Case studies.

Testimonials.

Results.

Recommendations.

Clients.

Projects.

Media.

Qualifications, where relevant.

Things you've created.

Things you've changed.

Things you've actually done.

Because as our feeds become increasingly flooded with beautifully packaged expertise, I suspect something wonderfully old-fashioned is about to become incredibly valuable again:

Credibility.

So, before you finish your coffee, do something for me. Google yourself.

Look at your LinkedIn.

Look at your website.

Look at your Instagram.

Now pretend you've never met yourself before.

Would you think:

“This person looks impressive.”

Or would you think:

“This person clearly knows what they're talking about.”

Because those are not the same thing.

Reach gets you seen.