Being a guru
by Tash Hughes of Word Constructions (www.wordconstructions.com.au) 

Some people call themselves a guru in their field, others are given the title by others. Is being referred to as a guru actually of any value to a business owner?

What is a guru?

Guru*: influential teacher; revered mentor

Put that way, a guru is a valuable person to know and listen to; however, the perception of a guru in our society tends more to someone who knows everything and is somehow above the rest of us.

It is also important to note that the above definition relies on the person sharing their knowledge and being revered by others – by default, you need someone else to label you guru when they respect and admire you.

People who are truly gurus never need announce the fact – their behaviour and students will say it all. People calling themselves gurus when they are obviously not worthy of the title shows disrespect to the true gurus, their field and the people they claim to want to help.

What’s wrong with calling yourself a guru?

Being a respected teacher implies you have knowledge and are generous with that knowledge and wisdom, which is great if you want to share your knowledge. However, you may find some disadvantages to being called a guru:

• People look for mistakes, and are less forgiving, to someone who calls themselves better than others. Remember the perception of a guru is someone who knows it all
• Many people will consider it boasting if you call yourself a guru – and boasting is not seen as a positive in Australia
• As a guru, you are expected to be ahead and teaching all the time – that can be a lot of pressure on you, and an incentive for others to pull you down
• Imperative to keep up to date all the time so your knowledge is advanced and valuable for others

Chanakya (an Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC – 275 BC) said “The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.”   And he has a point – if a guru shares all their knowledge, does that create more gurus or weaken the position of the guru? Of course, if he doesn’t share his knowledge and secrets, he is no longer a guru! So it is not an easy role to take on.

Is there an alternative?

If you would like to be respected and considered an expert, you can do so without calling yourself a guru and facing the potential negatives listed above. The key alternative is just to mention or list your experience, skills and qualifications.

For instance, I can call myself an experienced professional writer and someone else may call themselves a web designer with IT training and 20 years experience.

By using more descriptive terms instead of a label, you have the following advantages:

• You are being honest
• Increase credibility by showing the basis of your claims without appearing boastful
• Simply listing facts has no hidden meaning or perception
• Its ok to admit errors/lack of knowledge without risking your entire reputation (compared to a guru showing they know nothing about a relevant topic)
• You can’t be toppled by a new comer or new developments as you never claimed to be the top or to know everything
• There is no pressure to mentor others to teach

So think carefully before you give yourself, or accept, a guru label – it may cause you more problems than credibility or respect. Remember, respect must be earned, not claimed.

 * definition from The Concise Oxford dictionary, 6^th edition, Sykes, J B Oxford University Press 1976

Clear communication is critical to the success of any business, but it is often left to care for itself in many businesses. Tash Hughes is a professional and skilled writer who makes technical and otherwise boring information accessible for everyone a business needs to communicate with. Next time you need webcopy, articles, newsletters, reports or any other business document, visit www.wordconstructions.com.au to see how Tash and her team can help your business succeed.

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