Specialization vs Generalism – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

The two extremes of a key choice for going far in life

At one point in my career, someone told me flatly that I should become a specialist. It was what had worked for him to get where he was, and he was sure it was what I needed. A couple of years later I realized how wrong that advice was, and how heavy-handed he’d been in expecting me to follow the same path. What are the differences, and the advantages, of being a specialist or a generalist?

I don’t consider myself either a generalist or a specialist. That said, within certain fields I’ve gradually found the things I enjoy and am drawn to most, coaching for example, and I could say they’re leading me toward a very particular specialization that I hope to master at a PRO level someday. Reaching the point where I finally found something that truly moved me took many years and plenty of frustration and anxiety over whether I had been, or was, on the right track.

Starting out as a specialist narrows your attention and focus so much that you lose sight of the forest. Many rules we know, like the ten thousand hours it takes to become an expert, turn out to be the exception once you discover a passion. Tied to a purpose, that passion shortens any path and can make someone an expert much faster than expected, or even much more slowly (out of patience and the inner need, which you can become aware of, to master a subject even better).

For me, living as a generalist has meant the chance to find many areas where my life’s purpose fits perfectly, and to take steps that let me go deep in ways I’m sure I’d never have found had I decided to specialize in one field and "master it completely."

Ironically, specialization comes after generalism. Opportunities multiply as we get the chance to look, with time, patience and vision, at everything that comes our way and weigh it against our life’s purpose. I hope that in that sea of generalism we can always find the golden whales, the activities we end up being most passionate about.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

• P.S. This week’s VELA (what I was Watching, Listening to, Reading and Learning):
• What I was Watching: What Kind of Job Fits your IQ. A good video by Jordan Peterson on intelligence and types of work. What really stood out for me was the part on jobs that correlate strongly with technology
  – What I was Listening to: Confianza en uno mismo (Self-Reliance). A powerful book by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Few books are this good, and what I like most is the audiobook on a great channel. Well worth a listen
  – What I was Reading: The Art of Impossible. I was traveling this week and this book kept me company. I got to revisit it, especially several ideas closely related to today’s post
  – What I was Learning: What it takes to be a great leader. Leadership is a well-worn topic, yet it’s hard to find a good, precise resource on it from a great researcher

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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