Day 440: What does it mean to be an expert?

Expert
def. someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain (Wikipedia).

Many people I have spoken with about my Master Black Belt program have said or asked something along the lines of "so you're the expert then?" And most times, I say "nah, I'm still learning, still have my training wheels on." But with only a few more months left in this program, I had to start having a conversation with myself about being the expert.

So, let's say you have decided that today is the day that you are now a real expert(tm) at something. Yo-yo tricks. Dog whispering. Cardiac bypass surgery. Lean management. Whatever it may be. You might even get it put on a business card. Maybe a t-shirt. Bumper sticker? Cool.

So I have a few questions for you, if that's ok? Humour me.
1: What makes you an expert? How did you know?
Expertise is often externally validated, such as a designation or certification, but sometimes it's about the experience under the belt (no pun intended - I think?). Experience in making good decisions or maybe experience in performing a specific task. Similar to mastery, but I think, more focused. More specific. 

I started coaching U12 flag football this spring, along with 4 other coaches. Practices have a structure, similar to those in other sports: warm-up; skills and drills; practice/play; cool-down. While I am no expert in the game, I have a sufficient level of skill and knowledge to contribute to most of the parts of the practice. However, where I was able to add a LOT more value to the group was in the warm-up and skills and drills - apparently over 20 years of athletics in a wide variety of sports (and dealing with all those sports injuries I suppose) has given me a level of expertise in how to move. Do a lunge like this, not that, and here's why. Load your legs for a sprint start like this, not that, and here's why. 

2: What changes now? I assume that you still put your pants on the same way - one leg at a time - so some cool expert pants-putting-on contraption or skill aside, what changes now that you are deemed an expert?

I guess that what changes is... me. I don't know if I would ever consider myself an expert at anything as there is always something more to learn, some additional skill or aptitude to further develop. But that doesn't mean that I don't have more education or experience than some. In the grand scheme of things, I'm still somewhere on the big bell curve of learning - sometimes on the leading edge, sometimes on the tailing one.

Simply put, being deemed an expert is a contextual designation. It depends who you are being compared against. Compared to my 11 year old daughter, I am a math expert. Compared to my 4th year math prof at uni, I am at a child's level of mathematics. So what changes? I guess I get measured differently - it's a different metric now.

3: Will you use your powers for good or evil? Since you have a choice here, are you going to help others by providing your expertise or are you going to hoard it all, meting it out only when it suits you?
Only for evil. Just kidding. :-)

AMac