As we might expect, the best descriptions of how expertship programs impact experts come from the experts themselves.

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist

“I absolutely believe the course changes people’s lives. I feel with my relationships with people at work have improved, I’m now more accepting of other people. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and the program has made me realize that is not reasonable hold everybody to the same standards.” Tony Horton, Senior Unix Administrator

Switching on lights

“The Expertship program really switched on a light for me. It made me realise that there is so much more to being a technology person than the technology.”  Kellie Wills, Communications Engineer

The experience was overwhelming positive

“I found the course enabled me to develop a way of thinking that made for a more collaborative environment. It helped me refine my skills to become more of a trusted advisor, which is exactly the direction both I and the legal team need to move in. It has helped me to be an advocate for change and negotiate ways to achieve that change. The experience was overwhelmingly positive.”  Lydia Juric, Legal Counsel

Sneaking suspicions

“So often in my career, I have felt that the other person just didn’t understand what I was saying, while at the same time I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn’t understand them. The program really changed that.” Dave Brown, Program Director, Software Development

Stakeholder engagement was the best

“The best thing about the program, which directly affected the way I work, was the section on stakeholder management. It was of immediate practical benefit to me.” Nir Cohen, IT project Manager, Finance

It’s difficult to explain how innovative it was

“I really wish I had done this course earlier in my career. In retrospect, a lot of it seems like common sense, but common sense isn’t very common. It’s difficult to explain how innovative it is and how different the approach is.” Gabriel Andres, Learning & Development Manager

Enough business knowledge to challenge the business

“The course has done a lot for my confidence, in a big way. It’s about having enough business knowledge to be able to challenge the business.” Sweta Talkar, SAP Design Authority

I thought there was something wrong with me

“Before I did the Expertship program I honestly thought there was something wrong with me. The program helped me realise that I am far from being alone. There was nothing wrong with me at all, I had just not learned the right skills.” Richard Silberman, Insurance Broker

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Training that resonated the most

“Would I recommend this type of development – absolutely. I think for me it has been the one training that has resonated with me the most right throughout my career. It’s not only been an eye-opener, but a great motivator both professionally and personally. I think a lot of successful companies have very skilled technical experts and this is just the next level of training and development. I think it can definitely add value, and we’ve certainly seen that value-added in the company I work for.” Business Analyst, Financial Services

Skeptical, but now convinced

 “I was highly sceptical early on. But the most valuable part was the self-awareness journey. There were many things I thought I was doing well and didn’t believe I needed to improve upon, but have now improved immensely.” Software Development Engineer, Melbourne

Program made me think twice

 “I got the most value from the material which covered getting better insights into people. The program made me think twice about judging others. Learning to step back from a situation and consider colleagues drivers, allows me to be (appropriately) less personally invested, and has reduced my frustration.” Finance Business Partner, Sydney

So glad to be nominated

“I couldn’t believe they had nominated me for this program. But I’m glad they did. The material where we discussed influencing techniques has been game-changing for me. I was shocked that rational persuasion caused the most resistance. It was always how I tried to convince people and always frustrated me when people didn’t ‘get it’. “ Deputy Legal Counsel, Asia Pacific

Lessons in being assertive diplomatically 

“I said no the first time but decided to attend after reviews from colleagues. Prior to Mastering Expertship my business conversations with stakeholders were not always assertive. Now, most are assertive. I can manage aggressive staff and direct conversations back to the value proposition which diffuses conflict and alleviates frustrations.” Project Manager, Singapore

Summary

These are very typical quotes from among many hundreds of very positive reactions to expertship.

For some more detail of the stories of experts and expertship, download our primer Six Experts.