The expert beginner

A concept that’s been cropping up in my coaching a lot lately is being an expert beginner.

I came across it in a book about bridge many years ago, but it has stuck with me.

The idea is that even when we’re new to something, we can be expert in how we learn to be better at it.

We don’t have to know the answers, but we apply our skills to finding out in the best way.

It means accepting that you’re new to something, that there will be a learning curve and things will go wrong. And that’s OK. An expert beginner understands mistakes are part of learning.

It means committing to the journey, to experimenting and learning from those experiments. An expert beginner knows that it will take time.

It means seeking out expertise and thinking about how to apply it to our own situation. An expert beginner isn’t arrogant, but engages actively and asks good questions.

I love watching my coaching clients think through what it might mean for them to be an expert beginner. So often it releases tension and allows them to focus on learning rather than trying to be the finished product.

In what areas of your life would you benefit from being an expert beginner?