So I can certainly see the value professionally of becoming a "recognized expert" -- but that doesn't necessarily help me to feel comfortable with the role.

Lately I've been listening to an audio-tape program by the late Thomas Leonard called "28 Principles of Attraction" -- a great program by one of the gurus of the coaching profession. One of the principles covered in the program is "Be Human." In explaining this principle, Leonard warns against expert-itis -- becoming overly enthralled with one's own greatness as a guru.

Puffing oneself up as an expert can take a lot of energy and keep you from being who you really are. Often, so-called experts become presumptuous and arrogant and lose their humanity.

Certainly becoming an expert can help you meet professional goals. But could it affect your personality in a negative way? Is it really worth it to be rich and famous if it turns you into a jerk? (I'm asking that question to myself as much as to anybody.)

Al B.
Danbury, Conn., USA
4/5/03