A Class with Drucker - Headway | Work on yourself

SELF-CONFIDENCE MUST BE BUILT STEP-BY-STEP ■ 39
help your local police guard against crime. There are committees to beautify
the neighborhood, to get out the vote, or to organize youth sports programs.
There are numerous boards that require leadership or performance
positions if you live in an apartment building, condominium, or co-op.
You also will find opportunities in your place of worship, professional
organizations, trade associations, political organizations, boy and girl
scouts, and many others. Look especially for unpopular jobs that no one
wants to do. Volunteer to do them and have fun doing them. Your self-confidence
will soar as you complete these tasks and become more and more
successful. In most cases, you won’t need to compete for them. All you
need to do is raise your hand and volunteer.
SEEK TO DEVELOP YOUR EXPERTISE
Research has demonstrated conclusively that there is an important source
of power that will automatically give you increased self-confidence. That
source of power is your expertise.
Expertise is in-depth knowledge or skill about any subject. Let’s look at
the expertise Peter had acquired by the time of his pivotal meeting <strong>with</strong>
the colonel. He knew how to speak <strong>with</strong> important people; he had acquired
the basic skills of business operations; he had developed proven abilities
as a writer and journalist; he had expert knowledge regarding international
law from his doctorate; and he had developed his analytical skills in
political economics.
You can develop your expertise in anything: economics, marketing, flying,
leadership, stock analysis, record keeping, investments, buying a car,
getting a loan, bowling, or baseball. Expertise can also be on what to eat,
how to jog, or even the best way to mow your lawn. Expertise can be about
anything that human beings do.
Numerous, perhaps most, successful corporate leaders got to the top
by developing their expertise. People like Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates,
Steve Jobs, and Mary Kay Ash shared a common attribute. They had
expertise in a topic that was of some importance to others. Interestingly,
all four of them were either college dropouts, or had never even attended
college before attaining success. This demonstrates that there are many
paths to the development of expertise and that they don’t depend solely
on a formal education.
Steven Spielberg, CEO of Dream<strong>Work</strong>s, is the most financially
successful motion picture director of all time and has won three