Читать книгу Better Aged Care Professionals Ask Better Questions - Lindsay Jr. Tighe - Страница 10

Let’s look at another hat that we wear, and one I am sure you all relate to within your lives: being ‘the expert’. What I mean by this is that you are a person who considers yourself to have the best knowledge and advice about certain situations or things and believes that your role is to offer this knowledge or advice to help people. There is a sense that you do know best, and this doesn’t necessarily come from an egotistical place; it is likely to be a genuine belief that, given your education, role and experience, your opinion really is right. I can recall many people telling me that they are aware that they often converse wearing the expert hat in the absolute knowledge that they are right about things, and frequently they are!

Professionals who wear the expert hat frequently will do so out of real concern and care for their clients, often in the belief that if they don’t provide this knowledge or advice there will be adverse consequences. Indeed, there are often situations where you feel you have a duty of care for your client; in other words it is often worn from a protective space. Very often a habit develops over the years that you will be the advice-giver and the expert, and your clients will approach you with an automatic expectation that you will wear this hat in your role. I have had many people share with me that they readily recognise this role and, without realising it, have even become relied upon to be the provider of answers and advice. It is clear that whilst reliance is not a good thing, being available as an expert to your clients will be one way to enable their living healthier and safer lives through sharing your wisdom and knowledge. Therefore the expert hat is again a valid one to wear, but I should emphasise at the right time and in the right way, which will be explored further very soon!