☞ Outlier Roles in Venture Capital (and other Organizations)

"...making noise on purpose can jolt a system out of its rut." During times of disruption, generalists often adapt to emerging conditions faster than their specialist neighbors.

We theorized that the benefits of being a generalist are strongest in fields with a slower pace of change. In these fields (think oil and gas, mining), it might be harder for specialists to come up with new ideas and identify new opportunities, while generalists may be able to find inspiration from other areas. We also theorized that the situation ... See more

In other words, lots of people see themselves as generalists, whether they use the word or not, and lots of people realize the value of these interstitial roles but not many brag about it, and not many hire for it.

I think there’s a prevalence of generalists, people who have moved between different careers, and it’s a reflection of our macro-historical moment. Don’t get me wrong, the silos of the industrial society are still here, but they have melted to some extent. So you have people trying to understand how to exist in that murkiness where society’s tradit... See more

Rise of the Generalist Sources

1. “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World,” David Epstein, 2019.


2. “The Skillful Corporation,” McKinsey Quarterly, Five Fifty, 2018.


3. “The Fastest Path to the CEO Job, According to a 10-Year Study,” Elena Lytkina Botelho, Kim Rosenkoetter Powell, and Nicole Wong, Harvard Business Review, January 31, 2018.


4. “Harv

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Fractional work = autonomy + community + equity.

There has to be a middle-ground, one which not just permits, but incentivizes pursuits outside of existing responsibilities. Programs to train divergent thinking and sharpen Swiss Army Knife skills.