The best experts are great teachers. They love the subject of their expertise and enjoy sharing their knowledge and skills with others. They gain satisfaction in the improved performance of their colleagues, friends, and students, and fi nd it gratifying to teach and to be emulated.

Great SMEs have a genuine desire to help others avoid the hard knocks they themselves experienced while attaining their expertise. They help others accelerate their learning and avoid predictable pitfalls, roadblocks, and needless pain. They encourage others to exceed their own accomplishments and support them to that end.

There is one attribute of master teachers that all experts should emulate: They teach principles and truths that endure. They don’t just teach the facts, the dos and don’ts, or the how-tos of something. No, master teachers have the unique capacity to teach concepts and ideas that have lasting value. Every domain of knowledge can be taught on the foundation of timeless principles, and master teachers can distill and deliver these principles. Th is attribute unfailingly distinguishes a merely good teacher from the undisputed expert.

Cheap teaching is like cheap food: It fills the stomach but offers little enduring nutritional value. The master teacher knows what knowledge is cheap and what knowledge is valuable. The master teacher knows what knowledge offers short-term benefits or gratification and what brings enduring guidance. Remember, for the great SME, what matters most is what matters longest.