Back when my Mum was growing up in the little mining village of Lynemouth she used to sit on the school bus next to a kid called Sid Waddell.

Now if you're over 40 and British you'll know exactly who Waddell was. For over 30 years he was the “voice of darts” on British TV. He was so synonymous with the sport that when he died in 2012 they renamed the trophy given to the PDC World Champion as the Sid Waddell Trophy.

Sid was a smart kid. He won a scholarship to Cambridge. And as the biographer of many of the greats of the game his knowledge of darts was pretty strong.

But Sid wasn't the leading authority on darts just because of his expertise. There were plenty of darts experts. Sid had something more than that.

Firstly, he was a true champion of the game.

At Cambridge, he fought tooth and nail to have darts become a recognised sport worthy of a coveted “blue” (the award you get for representing the college in a match against Oxford) and managed to get it to “quarter blue” status. He championed the cause of darts with the BBC and then Sky Sports, helping it become one of the most televised and watched sports in the UK.

Secondly, he had personality.

His love of the sport shone through in all his commentaries. And he was known for his over-the-top quotes when describing matches…

“The atmosphere is so tense, if Elvis walked in, with a portion of chips… you could hear the vinegar sizzle on them.”

“William Tell could take an apple off your head, Taylor could take out a processed pea.”

 “When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer … Bristow's only 27.” (on Eric Bristow winning his 4th World Championship)

“Look at the man go: it's like trying to stop a water buffalo with a pea-shooter.”

“If we'd had Phil Taylor at Hastings against the Normans, they'd have gone home.”

If you're setting out to become known as an authority in your field you could do a lot worse than learn from Waddel. Rather than just focusing on your expertise, let your passion shine through. Become a champion for your clients and what they do. And if you can add a bit of humour into your work, so much the better.

It'll make you memorable.

And being memorable is the hallmark of an authority.