Blog #93--Credibility And Quality Are Not The Same Thing

I have worked in several professions during my life. I’ve found that what people think of me is often based on factors unrelated to the quality of my work. I’ve been on a roller coaster ride where I received credibility and praise when I didn’t necessarily deserve it and remained anonymous at times when I did my best work.

For instance, I worked as a veterinarian treating small animals in private practice after graduation. While some pet owners considered me competent to treat their sick animals, others knew I was the new kid on the block and preferred the owner or others with more experience. I wasn’t surprised by this since I might react the same way at times. But a few clients wouldn’t allow me to see their animals simply because I wore a mustache. It was the mid 1970s, and there was a polarization between those who felt comfortable with longer hair and facial hair and those who felt animosity toward those characteristics. Quality or not, I was a bad person because of my mustache.

When I accepted a position at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, I was suddenly given far more credibility than I had in private practice. I was the same person as before and had basically the same amount of knowledge, but being a faculty member impressed pet owners I met. People treated me differently, giving me the benefit of the doubt whether I earned it or not. I must say it was a heady experience for someone only two years removed from veterinary school.

During my time as a faculty member, I developed an interest in animal behavior since every client I met in private practice had questions about the subject. When I had the explosion of awareness which led ultimately to my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” I discovered I was a natural behaviorist. I had an open channel to receive answers to questions people had about their pets’ behavior problems, answers that proved beneficial for them.

This occurred at a time before animal behavior became a specific discipline in veterinary schools. There was no board certification required to be a behaviorist; in fact, I was so rare that a reporter from The Chicago Sun-Times did a lengthy story about me that appeared on the first page of their feature section. That story was picked up as a national news release, and I started receiving interview requests from radio stations all over the country. The writer of the piece had watched me interact with my first-ever behavior client at a large referral hospital in the Chicago area, and suddenly I had credibility as a behavior specialist, whether I deserved it or not.

While I enjoyed the notoriety, I was summarily punished for it back at my regular job. The people in charge of the school at the time feared anything having to do with psychology, so they resented my interest in the subject. I volunteered to teach an elective course on behavior for veterinary students, but they refused to consider it. I believe strongly it was a major reason they soon fired me. Of course, now animal behavior is an accepted part of veterinary medicine and taught widely around the country.

In order to rationalize my firing, I was discredited among my peers in the veterinary profession. Suddenly, I was persona non grata and lost all my credibility. I went through several years of total anonymity despite more knowledge and awareness than ever before. I felt I had earned credibility, but none was forthcoming.

Seven years after my termination, my new wife and I opened a metaphysical bookstore, and suddenly I had credibility with our customers. They didn’t know our backgrounds, but they shared similar interests. They assumed my wife and I were experts on all of the many subjects which fit comfortably within the field of metaphysics just because we had all those books at our disposal. I guess they thought we had already read them all, but we were learning as we went along, just like them.

After 16 years in business, my wife and I were considered important by our customers. But the winds of change required us to close our physical store, and with it went our credibility. We continued to sell items via our Internet website, but those who ordered from us didn’t know anything about us. We rarely had a chance to visit with them to share ideas or help them with their problems, so we could no longer earn their respect for our knowledge or good hearts. Again, we knew a lot but lost more credibility with each passing year.

By the time I started working as a journalist for a college sports website, I was anonymous again. I had to earn my credibility, which I believe I did over the next nine years. But I lost it again when I reached retirement age.

When I was ready to write my “magnum opus,” I had no way of reaching the people who knew me and trusted my knowledge. It had been ten years since we closed our store, and many of our customers had either moved away, passed on, or lost interest in thinking about themselves or their world. Fear had replaced an eagerness to learn for many. They were more concerned about survival than finding out the truth of how the world works or how to find peace and fulfillment through forgiveness and acceptance, all subjects prevalent in my book.

If we look at other people honestly, we discover that some people have far more credibility than they deserve, and some people with tremendous awareness and talent are as anonymous as a blank wall. For example, there are some politicians whose only talents are to charm and deceive. They want money and power and have no interest in helping others. They become front men and women for the wealthy elite, while some of the best true leaders are prevented from doing so. The same scenario can be found in all professions.

I’ve enjoyed those times when I had credibility, even though I know I didn’t always deserve it. And I’ve enjoyed anonymity at times as well since it gives me a freedom that celebrities cannot possibly enjoy. But if I want people to benefit from my book, they need to find it first. I am confident it has quality, but it requires credibility that is presently absent.

Unfortunately, we can’t always induce people to grant us credibility. Without it, my book may go the way of the dodo bird. But then again, maybe someone with credibility may profit by it and share it with friends and followers. I may not see my book recognized for the truths I know it contains before my passing, but sometimes it takes many years before the perfect storm, when the right information reaches the right people at the right time. Maybe I will have some credibility posthumously. After all, it’s all part of the ups and downs we call life.

http://dreamtime3.wix.com/jacktuttlebook

Comments and questions can be directed to dreamtime@insight-books.com.