Are You a Professional or an Expert?

I attended a workshop recently for those leaving the armed forces. During the open forum session the question about professionalism was raised, and it got me thinking about how former armed forces members transfer their skills into Civvy Street.

The definitions of both expert and professional are varied, and the two terms appear to be inexorably linked. An expert demonstrates specialized knowledge in the field in which one is practicing, while a professional displays a high standard of ethics, behaviour, and work activities while carrying out one’s profession.

However, how do we measure professionalism or expertise, and how do we characterize an expert’s knowledge? Is there a standard that we need to meet?

Many of us in the consultancy sector have undertaken a Master’s degree, which demonstrates previous academic achievement. For those following the non-academic route, the “qualification” relies upon evidence amassed over a number of years coupled with a competency-based assessment.

In addition, there are specific qualifications that are only relevant to a particular sector, but that demonstrate that we have expertise in this field.

So, by having qualifications which can be empirically measured and meet a defined standard, does this automatically make us experts or professionals?

There are those who practice successfully as consultants, who lack qualification and whose expertise has come from experience as a practitioner. I would argue that they are no less expert just because there are no post-nominals to hang off of their names.

Part of the answer is in how we articulate this expertise to our clients, and this is where our professionalism comes into the equation.

Managing client expectations
We all know of colleagues who are experts in their given field, but we would not put them in front of a client. Similarly, there are those who are good at establishing client relationships but lack technical expertise. It is a delicate balancing act where the dynamics of professionalism must be paramount in understanding how we interact with our clients.

I would contend that, together with being an expert and able to advise in a given subject matter, a large part of professionalism lies in the way we are able to manage clients and their expectations.

It is all very well providing a client with expert advice, but if the task takes longer than agreed, or the client changes the scope on us midway through delivery, then it is up to us to make the right business decisions. Our course of action will depend on how much flexibility we are prepared to show in order to serve a client. In short, our professionalism comes from being expert, not only in our discipline, but also in the way we manage the relationship with our clients.

Development
In an ever changing security landscape where new technologies or methodologies are evolving, we as experts must stay current, not only in our particular subject matter, but also in other areas of our very diverse sector. We are expected to demonstrate a view on everything from convergence to data protection.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) obligations are common to most professions, and many professions define CPD as a structured approach to learning to help ensure competence to practice. So there should be no difference in the security consultancy sector, especially when it can involve any relevant learning activity. Strange then there is no formal industry or sector requirement for security consultants to maintain currency or competence in our chosen discipline. It is down to the individual.

However, for us as security professionals, there are professional organizations. These groups provide tiers of membership linked to CPD activity, where membership may be seen as a differentiator in the marketplace. Similarly, individual enterprises operating in the security sector provide CPD activity, usually as a business development opportunity. Nonetheless, these are opportunities for us to stay abreast of general business practices and expand our knowledge about our very (and I keep saying it) diverse sector.