When You're Not the Expert: Why Leaders Need Interactional Expertise
05/01/25 • 30 min
In this episode of The Visible Leader, I talk to Ed Fidoe - co-founder of the London Interdisciplinary School - about a concept that could radically shift how leaders operate: interactional expertise.
What do you do when your team knows more than you do? How do you lead across functions where you don’t have the depth of knowledge? And how can you avoid falling into the trap of blind trust or dangerous overconfidence?
Ed shares brilliant insights from his leadership journey, from running a university to launching theatre productions, and explains why not knowing doesn’t have to undermine your leadership - if you know how to ask the right questions, build context, and read between the lines. We also talk about Steve Jobs, Dunbar’s Number, and what good strategy actually looks like.
Key Takeaways:
- Interactional expertise is the ability to understand and talk fluently about topics you’re not an expert in - vital for cross-functional leadership.
- Leaders "acting out" might look like not asking questions or pretending to understand, driven by a fear of looking silly.
- Build your confidence by reading beyond your domain - whether it’s marketing, HR, or science.
- Get better at decision-making and communication by knowing when to zoom in and zoom out.
- Small shifts, like asking for a podcast recommendation from your product manager or keeping meetings to 5 people, can make a big difference.
Find Ed here:
Curious how high performing your team really is? Take the High Performing Team Scorecard and get a clear view in under 5 minutes, with a personalised report on how to improve things fast.
Contact Me:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Book your free 30-minute discovery call with me here: https://calendly.com/visiblydifferentcorine/1-2-hr-discoverycall
- Download my Leader's Guide to Increasing Your Impact, Influence & Free Time https://www.visibly-different.co.uk/increasing-your-impact/
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who might benefit and don’t forget to leave a rating and review!
In this episode of The Visible Leader, I talk to Ed Fidoe - co-founder of the London Interdisciplinary School - about a concept that could radically shift how leaders operate: interactional expertise.
What do you do when your team knows more than you do? How do you lead across functions where you don’t have the depth of knowledge? And how can you avoid falling into the trap of blind trust or dangerous overconfidence?
Ed shares brilliant insights from his leadership journey, from running a university to launching theatre productions, and explains why not knowing doesn’t have to undermine your leadership - if you know how to ask the right questions, build context, and read between the lines. We also talk about Steve Jobs, Dunbar’s Number, and what good strategy actually looks like.
Key Takeaways:
- Interactional expertise is the ability to understand and talk fluently about topics you’re not an expert in - vital for cross-functional leadership.
- Leaders "acting out" might look like not asking questions or pretending to understand, driven by a fear of looking silly.
- Build your confidence by reading beyond your domain - whether it’s marketing, HR, or science.
- Get better at decision-making and communication by knowing when to zoom in and zoom out.
- Small shifts, like asking for a podcast recommendation from your product manager or keeping meetings to 5 people, can make a big difference.
Find Ed here:
Curious how high performing your team really is? Take the High Performing Team Scorecard and get a clear view in under 5 minutes, with a personalised report on how to improve things fast.
Contact Me:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Book your free 30-minute discovery call with me here: https://calendly.com/visiblydifferentcorine/1-2-hr-discoverycall
- Download my Leader's Guide to Increasing Your Impact, Influence & Free Time https://www.visibly-different.co.uk/increasing-your-impact/
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who might benefit and don’t forget to leave a rating and review!
Previous Episode
Perfectionism at Work: The Good, The Bad, and The Exhausting
Dr Hayley Lewis joined me to talk about perfectionism in leadership—when it’s helpful, when it holds us back, and what we can do about it.
We get into:
- What perfectionism actually is (and isn’t)
- The toll it can take on leaders and teams
- How to spot it in yourself or others
- Ways to loosen its grip (without lowering your standards)
Reflective practice, micromanagement, inbox zero, and why reframing matters—it’s all in here.
Resources Mentioned
- Gibbs' Reflective Cycle – A useful tool for reframing experiences. Here is a post on Hayley’s website with a link to the free resource: https://halopsychology.com/2025/03/10/why-leaders-should-engage-in-reflective-practice/
- Check out Hayley’s brilliant sketchnotes (available here www.linkedin.com/in/hajlewis and website)
Ways for you to find her:
- Website: www.halopsychology.com
- LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/hajlewis
- Instagram - www.instagram.com/haypsych
Contact Me:
- Find me on LinkedIn
- Book your free 30-minute discovery call with me here:
https://calendly.com/visiblydifferentcorine/1-2-hr-discoverycall
- Download my Leader's Guide to Increasing Your Impact, Influence & Free Time https://www.visibly-different.co.uk/increasing-your-impact/
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who might benefit and don’t forget to leave a rating and review!
Next Episode
Your Reputation Is Talking – Are You Listening?
I'm joined by writer and communications expert Charlotte Otter to unpack a topic that often gets misunderstood: reputation.
Before this conversation, I associated reputation management with spin and crisis control. Charlotte completely shifted my perspective. What if reputation is less about image and more about the stories people tell about you based on what you say and do?
We explore how to stay visible without being performative, what to do when things go wrong, and how to build trust - even if you're leading a small, growing business.
Key Takeaways:
- What if your reputation isn't what you say it is, but what others experience?
- Could the gap between your words and actions be quietly eroding trust?
- How can you show up authentically, without oversharing or performing?
- What should you say (and when) when something goes wrong?
- How do you keep your personal brand aligned with your business story?
- Can storytelling be your most overlooked leadership tool?
- What role does social media play in your reputation, especially if you hate self-promotion?
Resources:
- Find Charlotte at charlotteotter.com
- Charlotte's book We Need New Leaders is out on 2nd June - visit charlotteotter.com/leaders
Curious how high performing your team really is? Take the High Performing Team Scorecard and get a clear view in under 5 minutes, with a personalised report on how to improve things fast.
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