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Are you an expert? Open your hands.

Are you willing to show how you do what you do? Are you willing to open your hands and show all your tools of your trade, from hootsuite to canva to allthefreestock?

Last week, a discussion ran across my stream that a boss had asked to see a social media marketer do her job. The boss actually asked to spend a day at her side, watching her work. Her response was fear, and so many others supported her, saying her job was threatened and the boss would take over the social media. One respondent actually said, once the boss knows how easy your job is, he/ she will stop paying you. What?!?

My response? Say yes. If you're an expert, open your hands and show the experience and skill they're getting every day.

Job security is a myth

The fear: you'll be replaced when the boss sees how easy your job is. Let's be honest: if you're taking hours a day to do something the boss could do in a quarter of the time and demanding a premium salary, you should be replaced. His or her ignorance should not be the only thing that enables you to remain employed.

In social media marketing, some differentiators are

  • timing & scheduling
  • tools
  • analytics-based content
  • marketplace knowledge
  • buyer profiles
  • graphic design
  • compelling writing
Your persona is also an irreplaceable asset. Are you undervaluing your skill set, or do you need to improve post-haste? In an era of Coursera, there is no reason for you to fall behind. Check out Klout if you're not sure where you stand. 

Integrity is a must

Do you work with integrity? If you're a freelancer and you're charging $100/hr, are you working every minute of that hour for your client? If you work in the office, are you actually working when you're in the office, or are you checking your Facebook calendar to see what your daughter's cheer team is doing this weekend?

You would be amazed at the amount you can get done for a client once you truly focus on the business for the time you have committed to.

One of the respondents to the previous discussion said they should take the boss on a ride to Target, Starbuck's and the gas station because that's all part of the creative process. Nope. While I agree that rumination and thought are part of the creative process, clients should not be billed for your deep thoughts while you grocery shop. Work with integrity, no matter where you are.

Teachers are masters of their craft

"If you can't do, teach." This adage has led to two outcomes: an underestimated teaching profession, and a education system that serves as a hideout for those who are not ready to fully engage in their careers. Teachers are both the best and worst at what they do, and you don't know from which camp they come until you see them teach and see them work. However, the best teachers are passionate about the material they are teaching. 

Teachers are masters of their craft. 

If you can teach your boss, your friend, your intern how to do what you do, you may be training your replacement, but you are also mastering your craft and improving your skill set with every lesson. You'll be even better if this job ends and the next rolls around. 

If you're an expert, teach with open hands. 

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