As Unconventional Experts forge their own path, leadership will need to make sure that their achievements are moving in a direction that is advantageous to the company. In t his module, we will look at ways to assure forward progress, when initiating a Culture of Experts.

Company meetings and Unconventional Experts
It is always recommended that leadership meet with employees within regular one-on-one meetings. Discussions usually include a status or progress report and plans for next steps. When meeting with Unconventional Experts, a review of the individual work-process can aid in the sharing of information that is often disregarded.

Manager asks employee:
a) What captured your interest?     Intellectual curiosity
b) What new activities did you put into motion?     Initiate activity
c) What new relevant information did you gain and from what source?      Gain relevant information
d) What possibilities did you see, that could benefit customers in the long run?      Discover possibilities
e) What new game plans did you develop?     Strategize
f) What project updates are there?     Commit to a project
g) What new ideas did you come up with?     Create ideas
h) How did you develop your best ideas and how did that translate into productivity?     Realize ideas
i) What ideas did you test and what was the test?     Test ideas, find success or failure
j) What ideas failed?     Test ideas, find success or failure
k) What did you learn from the failed ideas and what new ideas did they lead to?     Use failure as a platform for new and better ideas
l) What parts of the process did you repeat, to duplicate successful activities?     Repeat part or all of the process
m) What achievements did you have?     Eventually, find achievement
n) What progress have you made on your expert-trek, to find mastery?      Ultimately, gain some level of mastery

We can also add two attributes of unconventional positions (module #1), to add to the information exchange.

Manager asks employee:
• What unstructured facets of your position where challenging and how did you face the challenge?     Unstructured
• What new levels of complexity did you reach within your position and how were you able to adapt?     Complex

Regarding project updates, if work is encapsulated within an unconventional project (module #6), updates can be specific.

Manager asks employee:
• Summarize the movement of the project?
• Are there any adjustments to the project’s expectations and goals?
• What benefits does the project bring to the company?
• What influence does the project have on personal growth?
• What customer reach, market reach or internal department interaction has the project generated?

The power of mastery
In module #3 we saw how important it is for Unconventional Experts to have a realistic understanding of the level of commitment required to reach some level of mastery. Over time, there should also be a deep respect and reverence for mastery and the Masters who achieve it. Leadership should continually romance the concept of Master-level performance and make certain that their experts are not delusional; as they compare their skills and achievements to those who stand at the top of their vocation.

Manager asks employee:
• Of those who share a similar expert-trek, what exposure have you had to top performers?
• How far away are you from achieving a similar degree of mastery within your career?
• How will you develop your expertise differently?

Free-time activities
In module #3 we looked at the Unconventional Experts in their free-time, as they forwarded hobbies, arts, crafts, DIY home improvements, connoisseurship, inventions and disciplines. As long as the employee is comfortable with the conversation, comparing personal experiences with workplace experiences can be beneficial. It should be a goal of leadership to make sure that their employees are as confident at the workplace as they are at home.

Work-journey check-up
The individual work-journey is the chemistry between the worker and the work. If the work-journey is not positive, there will be limited job satisfaction and the quality of work will suffer. For Unconventional Experts, the level of curiosity and ability to either fulfill or expand curiosity will play a big role in the health of their work-journey. If there are company barriers that stand in the way, there should be efforts to remove or minimize them.

Sparking employee curiosity:
• Abbreviate and share all interesting industry information.
• Have employees attend trade shows and conferences.
• Expose employees to the marketplace where goods and services are sold.
• Share stories where company goods or services have helped end-customers.
• Dedicate time to meetings, where employees can share work-journey stories.
• Expose employees to master-level experts, relevant to their position.

Expert-trek check-up
Within  most organizations, employees are rated within formal quarterly and yearly performance reviews. These reviews cover a lot of ground, however, they rarely review an employees level of expertise and mastery. As difficult as it is to rate these qualities, expert-trek progress should be reviewed on a regular basis.

Manager asks employee:
• What achievements have you made within your position, as compared to similar positions within the industry?
• What unique abilities do you offer to your position, as compared to similar positions within the industry?
• What ideas or philosophies do you hold, that might be considered unorthodox to the industry?
• What industry knowledge do you have, that not typically found within publications or reports?
• What unique situations have you experienced, as compared to similar positions within the industry?
• Where are you in your pursuit of mastery, as compared to those at the top of their vocation, within similar positions within the industry?