Generalist vs Specialists
“Range” is one of those books that are engaging and easy to read. The author challenges us on the nature of learning, formal education and excellence. He uses his studies and observations to put a theory that the future belongs to Generalist, those individuals with wide range of interests and expertise, vs what is cultivated now which is a world of Specialists.
The book is rich in stories some of them taking us few hundred years back. We read about famous people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Judith Poglar, Johannes Kepler, Karol Darwin and Vincent van Gogh as well as we touch some popular books like “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Kahneman, “Grit” by Angela Duckworth.
We get a chance to dive into scientific experiments and histories of big brands that are recognizable for their innovation, to name few Boston Dynamics and 3M. This book goes wide in exploration of the subject, the stories are colorful and each chapter brings some new revelations.
Are we hungry for knowledge?
Both Generalists and Specialists can be hungry for knowledge, the difference comes in how wide they go with their search for that knowledge. How we are shaped as humans depends on both external and internal factors.
The author brings the idea that our schooling system, and the book looks for examples from various countries, is first to narrow us in the way we learn. The further we go with education and professional career, the more specialization is required from us.
I firmly believe that because we are shaped as Specialists, we rarely appreciate Generalist. Recruiters, for example, bet on someone who has already similar experience in their resume. It’s convenient but also limiting for the company which will hire a new recruit.
The author brings a lot of example which will prove the point that the innovation come from generalist approach and further going, we will need more of those with generalist approach.
There are also internal factors that influence our being in Specialists quarters.The deeper we go into one area, the more difficult is to switch. We experience something called loss aversion – when the investment into an area of expertise is too big to switch it for another. So we usually develop in area of our expertise and can get uncomfortable in situation where we are confronted with unknown.
Generally people have low threshold for ambiguity and stick to something that is rewarding with minimal effort. That behavior is wired in us as our brains like to preserve energy to keep us alive.
So to switch from Specialist to Generalist, one need to have either very big hunger for know,edge or have guts to increase outside of primary area of expertise.
What that book can teach us about the future
As much as we like the stories and the idea to be Generalist ourselves, it does not necessarily make us a switch to become one. So is that important to consider it is a good option for our personal future?
Events like 2020 pandemic shakes our life’s quite dramatically. Something very secure today does not need to feel that way in 12 months from now. If something we can learn from history is that Black Swans* happen and the best strategy is to be ready when one comes. I also think many of us would like to feel the kind of freedom that would set us on the path to self-definition.
When we were kids, there was no limit to our imagination of who we want to become. That changes when we grow up. Our early-child fascination of the world is being tapped by the necessity to fulfill all the school duties and satisfy all the requirements.
Next, we enter our adulthood and in many cases fall into another trap – a world of companies who need people with some kind of specialization. What can beat the competition for a better job is another certificate, a fact that you know key abbreviations and that you checked on few courses that are meaningless in human life, but your future/new employee considers them important for you to fulfill a new role.
But do we want to dance to the music someone else is playing? Most of us will sooner or later look for career switch, either because our skills become obsolete or because we fill a call for something else.
Career transition requires fresh look at our capabilities and preferences and what we can offer to the world. Even if it’s early to us to decide now, the sooner we start taking ourselves on different waters, the easier it will become to dive later on in a life for something new.
Final note
It is book full of stories, stories that the author, David Epstein, uses to prove his thesis. That those who are Generalists will triumph in the specialized world. For me, it was a brief of fresh air because I will never be Specialist.
I am hungry of people who with their diverse thinking, force me to act and think differently. I work on my path where I can be gratified to think diversely. I wish to become more of a person that can listen to others’ perspective and is able to do so with healthy criticism and enjoyment.
For those reads who feel like exploring more of an idea covered by David Epstein, Bill Gates covers this book in the article titled ‘We need more Rogers’
Thank you for reading my review,
Ali
• black swan theory is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. Source: wikipedia
