I’ve come to realize: being a generalist isn’t something we choose. It’s something inherently in our nature — it’s how we see the world. We can think of this approach as a ‘cognitive preference’.

Nothing can substitute for depth of analysis, and there's proven value in specialization – it's what education, career paths, scientific research, and technological innovation are built on – but generalism is a secret talent.

People who appreciate diversity, who are in the know about the wider world and who understand how things interact are... See more

specialized generalist or generalized specialist generally specializing in...

Being a generalist feels like a superpower in the startup world but a misfit elsewhere.

You know a bit of everything—product, design, sales, marketing, even customer support—but you’re not the expert in just one.

In entrepreneurship, this makes you adaptable, resourceful, and ready to build.

But in companies, there’s no job description for someone who... See more

Doing all of the things you genuinely love doing seems like it wouldn’t be hard but it is. This is for many reasons (that I am discovering and writing about here) but one of the strongest sources of discouragement can be that specialists tend to find traditional success faster than generalists. Simply put, by dividing your focus across many areas,... See more