Dr. Anthony Fauci was thrust into the public spotlight when President Trump announced the White House Coronavirus Task Force in January 2020.81 He quickly became the nation’s leading public expert on COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, Fauci had worked as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades. He was a highly accomplished medical professional, advisor to multiple US presidents, and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But, like most experts, he was mostly unknown to the American public. Within a few months of his introduction, however, he had been interviewed hundreds of times and lauded by major news sources for his important role in fighting the disease. Now he is recognized by hundreds of millions of Americans.

Some people speak his name with honor and respect, for instance The New Yorker dubbed Fauci “America’s Doctor.”82 Others express scorn, such as when The Wall Street Journal said, “Dr. Anthony Fauci has proven he doesn’t understand economics . . . [or] public health.”

Being a public expert is not easy. It is fraught with trials, criticism, and difficulty, but we need these experts, sometimes desperately. We impulsively seek experts at times of risk, trial, and uncertainty. We expect experts to fix what ails our companies, our relationships, our health, and our psychology. We expect experts to protect us from stupidity and harm. We expect experts to know, predict, and shape the future. We blame them when things go wrong.

In January 2020 Fauci could not possibly have known the full impact of COVID-19 on American health, much less the full impact on our economics, politics, and culture. The best he could do under the circumstance is the same thing that any other expert can do, namely:

Confront and overcome the challenges. The volume and diversity of information and technology are accelerating, making expertise more difficult than ever. Experts have less time to convince their audience, they are thinly sliced, and they are being confronted by endless distractions in their quest for influence. Experts are surrounded by fakers and naysayers. They are either noticed, scrutinized, and criticized, or completely ignored. Great SMEs confront challenges directly. They know they must in order for their influence to be established, felt, and maintained.

Continually seek knowledge and skill. It is not enough for experts to be good at what they do. They must be exceptional. The day you deliberately stop practicing is the day you start backsliding. You must continually gather and filter new information, new research, new solutions, and newly discovered failures. By staying within your expert domain, you are less likely to lead people astray or make critical errors. You must be confident, resolute, and steadfast in the things you know to be right and appropriately cautionary in the things that are wrong.

Establish trust. Without trust, experts have nothing, so great SMEs work diligently to establish relationships of trust. They know that trust is built on superior knowledge and skill as well as pure motive. They demonstrate what they believe through their behavior and they spend their time where it is most effective. Great experts don’t use technical jargon. They don’t condescend, scare, or criticize their audience. They avoid saying no and they find ways to say yes.

Determine a mutual vision. Great SMEs learn what their audience expects. They separate what is wanted from what is needed, and they simplify everything that is not reduced to its fundamental elements. The ignore nothing and no one. They teach what is enduring and sound with clarity and precision. They maintain temperance and express malice toward none.

Ensure delivery. They always find a way to deliver the goods, the solution, the cure. Love him or not, Anthony Fauci will always be able to point to Operation Warp Speed as the fastest vaccine development in human history. Experts in the federal government and the private sector created effective vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year. Great experts seek productivity improvements, they measure their progress, and they know and influence the laws that govern them. Great experts deliver solutions.

After decades of observation, study, and research, I commend these principles to you. We need more experts, and we need better experts. Our products and services are increasing in sophistication and complexity. Our problems are getting bigger and more challenging. Our world is filled with pain and problems, contests and contention. Many things need to be changed and improved, and many people need assistance. The world is rarely changed by the ordinary, the good enough, or the commonplace. No, changing the world requires experts—people with tremendous capacity, tenacity, strength, and courage. Experts can make a profound difference in the world and they should make a profound difference in the world.

Together, let’s advance the cause and the influence of the experts.