On Friday, I got asked to run a training session on a tool I had never used before. On Sunday, I spent a few hours getting my head around it. On Monday, I stood in front of a room full of people and taught it.

Was I an expert? Absolutely not. Was I a few steps ahead of them? Yep. Did I have all the answers? Not even close. Did they walk away knowing more than they did before? 100% yes.

Expertise Isn’t What You Think It Is

We’ve all been conditioned to believe that to teach something, you need to have spent years mastering it. But that’s not how it works. If you’re even slightly ahead of someone else, you’ve got enough knowledge to help them.

Think about it—when you learned how to drive, did you need a race car driver to teach you? No. You needed someone who knew the rules, had been through the process, and could help you avoid common mistakes. That’s it.

Or let’s say you just figured out how to set up a website. There are thousands of people out there who have no idea where to start. You don’t need to be a web developer to show them the basics. Helping someone get from zero to one is way more valuable than most people realise.

Teaching Isn’t About Perfection

Most people think you have to know everything to teach. That’s just not true. Teaching is about simplifying things for others and pointing them in the right direction.

I once had to train a team on a website building tool that I had barely used. I didn’t know every single feature, but I knew enough to get them up and running. And when they had questions I couldn’t answer? I showed them where to find the answers. That’s all they needed.

Or imagine you’re great at using LinkedIn, and a fresh graduate wants to start posting but has no clue where to begin. To you, it’s second nature. To them, it’s overwhelming. Sitting down with them and walking them through it could change everything for them. What’s obvious to you is valuable to someone else.

The Knowledge You Have Is Valuable

“But can’t people just Google it?” Sure. But most people don’t want to sift through 50 YouTube videos, five online courses, and a hundred blog posts. They want someone to give them a clear, simple path forward. And they’ll pay for that clarity.

Take personal fitness trainers—most of them aren’t elite athletes. They’re people who figured out how to get in shape, took a six week course, and now they help others do the same. That’s why people trust them.

Or consider coding. Maybe you just learned Python last month. Someone with zero experience would love for you to guide them through those painful first steps. To them, you’re an expert.

That’s all for this week. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it.