Recognising this fact is not beyond the largest corporation in the world
Everyone is an expert at something. It might be as mundane as planning the best route into work or tying shoelaces. The guard on my street has trained me to come over to the right hand side of the road when I come home. That’s where his guard hut is and it’s quicker for him to open the boom there. Quicker for him and quicker for me. Also because I’m coming on the right hand side of the road (it’s a quiet suburban road with almost no traffic and he only does this when there is no traffic) we get to have a short exchange. We’ve developed a rapport. I’m saving him a bit of effort and he’s saving me a little time. It works.
As simple as this example is, it does show that this simple process has made a difference in our suburb. Every workplace has people that are experts in something in their field. These competencies are unique and are developed to cater for that person’s specific quirks and qualities in the execution of their daily tasks. The initial skills are often taught to the employees but over time each employee has refined those skills to make their jobs easier. In this way these people are experts in their field. It’s a pity that few people know about this.
A recent Daily Maverick article discussed what companies do to retain employees in 2025. The concluding paragraph is illuminating
“Many job hunters in 2025 will look for companies that prioritise culture, community and development. The best employers understand that their relationship with employees is not transactional but transformational.”
The paragraph is obviously inspired by Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, specifically needs 4 and 5
3 Social needs: The need for love, affection, belongingness, and social interaction.
4 Esteem needs: The need for self-esteem, recognition, and respect from others.
Companies that encourage their staff to operate at Maslow’s fourth level stand a better chance of retaining competent employees. There’s no shortage of literature and programmes that assist organisations in their employee wellness, few deal with employee recognition. Sadly the power of recognition is sometimes ignored because it’s often too difficult to execute beyond the immediate manager level. The INTRATERNSHIP programme goes a long way to provide this recognition. If we build on the concept that everyone is an expert in something in their job then it’s simply a matter of providing each individual with an opportunity to teach this expertise to their peers. INTRATERNSHIPS are founded on the principle of peer learning. Peers are put on a programme where they teach each other the necessary skills to do their jobs. It’s not shadowing, it’s more like a micro-dosing process where people are taught for a maximum of an hour a week over a 12 month period. It’s not a push down process. The key is collaboration where each person gets to learn something and contribute to the learning process. This is where the company learns that each person has some expertise that is now recognisable.
Everyone is an expert at something, and recognizing this expertise can improve workplace efficiency and employee satisfaction.
- Everyday Expertise: Individuals develop unique competencies through daily tasks, which can make their jobs easier and more efficient over time.12
- Employee Retention in 2025: Companies that prioritize culture, community, and development, and view their relationship with employees as transformational, are more likely to retain competent employees.34
- INTRATERNSHIPS for Recognition: The INTRATERNSHIP program promotes peer learning and recognition by allowing employees to teach each other their unique skills, fostering collaboration and acknowledging individual expertise.5