In 1993 professional basketball star Charles Barkley became a spokesperson for Nike. Th e advertising campaign that followed was controversial.

"I am not a role model," he said, speaking directly into the camera. "I'm not paid to be a role model. I’m paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”

Despite what Barkley said in the Nike campaign, experts are role models. What an expert does will be copied, mimicked, impersonated, and parroted. Barkley was an exceptional basketball player. Consequently, it would be naive to think that other people, especially young people, would not look to him as a role model.

Most SMEs will not have the same scale of influence as Charles Barkley, but they will have some level of influence throughout their career. Young professionals will watch them for tricks, hints, and nuances. People do what they have seen done, and sometimes experts are watched very closely.

Barkley and Nike may disagree with me, but in my judgment, experts are always exemplars. Always.