Daily Post 1559
PROFESSIONAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Subject matter expert or SME is the most abused term in industry, academia, government and research. The lack of any certification in this area, the numbers are increasing like a jungle growth. Everybody is out to extract his pound of flesh. The self styled ones are having a field day. In the unsuspecting world of expertise, anything sells. More often than not there is a tacit understanding between the seller and the buyer. In the knowledge deprived world which we live in, anybody with ppt skills, flamboyance in getting you message through and being comfortable with flaunting you connects and make believe experience can pull you through.
What has stopped the government for creating a criteria for the subject matter experts in different areas is intriguing, mostly no thought has gone into it. The quality of this group of professionals can make or mar any project, or any high end capacity building or creating a new growth trajectory for the organisation. Conversely, the real SMEs can add a level of comfort to the real world practitioners which you cannot even imagine of. They would provide you both the vision and support at every step, till you reach the final destination with elan. It would be a handholding which you can boast of all your life.
In the ideal situation, if it ever happens, they would be the persona extraordinaire in the field, who would have shone like North Star while being a practitioner. For the love for their subject, they would have moved out of passion from their comfort zone to make a difference at a bigger scale. It certainly can’t be people who because of lack of opportunity or mediocrity or both become subject matter experts. The increase in the first category can add immense value to the subjects, areas or issues they are in. They are the Professional Subject Matter Experts. They add knowledge and wisdom to the practice.
They are the game changers. They are the path makers. The are the mentors. They can transform organisations and thought processes. How do they do that is the billion dollar question? Based on their intense study, research and practice they are able to find out hidden patterns, unknown correlations and pathbreaking trajectories. If you see the world around you and try to locate all these, you will find that genesis of all positive and proactive changes has come out of this thought process and wisdom. Interestingly, they also have the capability to deliver till the last mile.
PROFESSIONAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ARE OUR DESTINY.
Sanjay Sahay