Becoming an Expert Generalist

“Being a generalist” is harder than it sounds. The best generalists are actually mini experts in a bunch of areas. 11 disciplines to become a sharper operator:

The generalist becomes more powerful when they develop a specialty where they can apply their broad insight.

The specialist becomes more powerful when they develop a broader surface area of knowledge to connect with their expertise.

Which side are you favoring right now? Would you benefit from a broader area to apply your already honed skills? Or do ... See more

A common misconception about generalists is that our broad scope of interests and experiences precludes us from achieving mastery. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Generalists are capable of going deep; our path to mastery just looks different—more non-linear and richly textured.

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 invalua... See more

A generalist is a person who is a competent jack of all trades, with lots of divergent useful skills and capabilities; A specialist is someone with distinct knowledge and skills related to a single area.

Generalists are important at observing everything and seeking out a particular something that is most relevant for specialists to pursue. A generalist is a divergent thinker who is in touch with a large realm of possibilities.

Perhaps the most obvious of generalist characteristics is the connect-the-dots serendipity-searching that comes from linking disparate subjects together. Such cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural knitting is core to moving from incremental innovation to transcending ideation.

Generalists have the advantage of interdisciplinary knowledge, which fosters creativity and a firmer understanding of how the world works. They have a better overall perspective and can generally perform second-order thinking in a wider range of situations than the specialist can.