Recognizing a True Professional

I was at a party the other day when someone showed us a painting they had just completed. I am not an artist myself, so if someone can paint a reasonably straight line or a perfect circle, I’m already impressed.

She proudly showed the painting to my cousin and me. My cousin is a professionally trained commercial artist who has been making his living in the industry for over 30 years. Within seconds, he pointed out the areas that had been rushed and where more time and attention would have created a much stronger final piece.

He then said to me, “It’s much like music for you. You hear things that other people don’t.” It was funny because, at that moment, I realized he was giving me far more credit than I deserved.

I am a musician, just as the person who painted the picture would call themselves an artist. But I am not a professional musician. There is a significant difference.

Most people define a professional simply as someone who gets paid. I have been paid to play many gigs over the years, but I now realize that getting paid alone doesn’t make someone a professional. Likewise, selling a painting doesn’t necessarily make someone a professional artist.

I think skill can generally be divided into three groups.

The first group consists of people who know very little about a subject. That doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate it. They may love art, music, investing, or architecture. They may study it and enjoy it immensely, but they haven’t developed the skill themselves.

The second group is made up of people who have learned the craft. They have invested time developing their abilities and genuinely enjoy practicing their skill. Many become very good. In fact, to most people they appear to be professionals. The interesting thing about this group is that they are often the first to recognize who the real professionals are.

The third group is the professionals. Professionals operate on an entirely different level of commitment, experience, judgment, and responsibility. Some are blessed with extraordinary natural talent. Others simply outwork everyone around them. Either way, they have developed an ability that only others within their profession truly appreciate.

That conversation made me realize something else. These same three levels exist in virtually every profession.

I work in finance. Many people have no interest in understanding how financial planning, tax, investing, or estate strategies actually work. That doesn’t stop them from enjoying the lifestyle that money can provide. It’s no different than someone who loves listening to music but has no desire to learn an instrument, or someone who enjoys visiting an art gallery but has no interest in painting.

There is also a second group of people who take an interest in finance. They read books, follow the markets, and become quite knowledgeable. To the average person, they can appear to be experts.

I understand this because I have experienced it myself. After performing music, people have often complimented me on how talented I am. I sincerely appreciate those comments, but deep down I know they are comparing me to the average person — not to a true professional musician.

Fortunately, in my career I have had the privilege of working alongside true professionals. I work with accountants, lawyers, and financial advisors whose depth of knowledge, experience, and judgment is remarkable. They don’t simply know more facts. They know how to apply that knowledge in situations where the stakes are high and where every decision affects another person’s future.

A true professional provides judgment, experience, context, and accountability — something that cannot be replicated by a quick internet search or artificial intelligence alone.

Technology, including ChatGPT, can provide information. But once you begin looking for it, this hierarchy exists everywhere. In the trades, automotive repair, medicine, engineering, sales, teaching, and virtually every other profession, there are people who are competent, and there are people who have dedicated their lives to mastering their craft.

The challenge is learning to recognize the difference.

The true professionals are often not the loudest or the most confident. They are the people other professionals quietly respect.

Those are the people worth listening to.