If you’re the “technical expert” on a team, it’s easy to default to only caring about technical decisions.

But by only providing technical advice, you miss making other valuable contributions. You can also appear aloof, one-dimensional, or even unwilling to share responsibility.

Here are four questions that can help you understand when it’s time to make the switch:

• What expectation do other team members have of me? Am I here only to represent my field of expertise?

• Am I being passive because I’ve assumed others are better at getting good outcomes from a collaboration? Does this limit my contribution needlessly?

• What opportunities exist to add greater value by helping steer meetings efficiently and effectively, championing relationships, and coaching and facilitating more junior team members?

• How can I experiment with greater contribution? How should I communicate my intent to the team? Would they welcome this additional contribution? If not, why not?

In meetings, do you find it easier to be technical only, or do you try to push the team forward strategically as well?

Did you find this tip helpful? You can find many more in our book Master Expert: How to use Expertship to achieve peak performance, seniority and influence in a technical role.

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