Expertise Can Make the Familiar Invisible

Executive Field Note 031

Expertise changes what we see.

It allows patterns to become recognizable before others notice them.

But familiarity has another effect.

What once required attention becomes automatic.

What once seemed remarkable becomes ordinary.

Eventually, expertise can make certain assumptions almost impossible to see—not because they are hidden, but because they have become part of how the expert sees.

Expertise expands recognition.

It can also define its boundaries.

Executive Question

What has your experience taught you so well that you no longer think to question it?

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Published by Executive Insights. A publication of Axiom Research Press