In tech , how can one thrive as a generalist? https://twitter.com/Codie_Sanchez/status/1526912303890849796
Specifically, the answer is no.
Seriously: smaller shops tend to do better with generalists. Specialisation increases with size. Though at the very largest scales, a synoptic view becomes useful. Usually fairly high on the ladder.
The specialist will always have clear, specific, and cogent arguments against a generalist. The generalist's strength is that of a web or net, not of a sword or bullet.
Another strategy is to develop "M-shaped" talents: breadth and several (and with time, an increasing number) of specialties. You're becoming a generalist, but can sell yourself as a specialist.
The “M” strategy will give you a nice foundation in a few core skills, while being able to contribute elsewhere.
"Generalist" and "Specialist" are too broad of terms. In my experience, people who claim to be "generalists" are simply on the verge of competence in a variety of areas. On the other hand, extreme "specialists" require a lot of support to get things done (e.g. machine learning PhDs with little experience in cloud computing, software engineering, etc.).
So, somewhat paradoxically, the best "generalists" are "specialists" – people who are really successful in tech tend to be experts in one very valuable area, and competent in a few others. I can't recall anyone I'd consider "successful" not fitting that mold.
Apologies for mixed metaphors.
The specialist who has only one leg to stand on, or perhaps, whose key fits only one lock, does well so long as that lock provides access to treasure. Once it no longer does ... both lock and key are discarded.
Specialisation provides efficiencies, but not resilience. That applies both to the firm which specialises (there's a long history of single-technology / one-trick businesses failing once technology moves on, the proverbial buggy-whip manufacturer: Polaroid, Kodak, and Xerox come to mind. As I was entering the workforce, petroleum engineers were fading fast whilst aerospace engineering was the place to be. Since then, the oil industry saw a resurgence, aerospace fell, and computer science, not even really on the radar, exploded.
Within the tech field, I've seen technologies, platforms, and companies come and go: IBM, DEC, SGI, Sun, being just a few (not all failed completely, but most say at the very least major changes in fortune).
Pick up the management and leadership skills (including things like decisioning on incomplete inputs) and step up the ladder. Generalists are essential in the executive team to have the necessary context, make hard decisions, and own outcomes.
Alternatively, enjoy working in small teams (skunkworks-type product teams in large orgs, startups, or teams that are small by nature of what they do e.g in media and entertainment).
Could you provide examples?
Once you have enough general experience, it is easy to move sideways - not every job-hop has to be upwards.
The trick is to find a good company that puts you in a position to use all of your talents instead of just one specific skill.
There is only a place for a generalist in most roles - being a specialist on X technology is going to pigeon-hole you very rapidly
Start ups need generalists to save money, and large companies want to have fast iteration like start ups... So they need generalists too!
> and one of the points is replace generalists with specialists
This doesn't sound like good advice. Without generalists, you get strange results where certain areas of a product are highly developed, but there seems to be a disconnect between parts of the system, as people are only focusing on their specialisation.
Generalists are also needed in leadership, where you need to know what different specialized teams are doing (at a high level)
You would be surprised how even in the biggest corporation there are still groups of clever problem solvers with rolls of duct tape keeping everything together.
From a visual perspective, we often think of the Specialist as Narrow-but-Deep, and the Generalist as Wide-but-Shallow. That's the jack of all trades perhaps, but as most people build a career in reality they're building Width AND Depth.
To really excel as a Specialist, at some point you have to focus on even greater Depth, at the expense (because time is finite) of other skills. The key I see to being a good Deep Generalist is knowing when you have sufficient depth in a skill to go focus more time on building depth in others.
For my founder clients, I will never be the best accountant / web developer / digital marketer / HR guru / recruiter / sales manager they can find. But for the size they are (I work with companies from 12-100 employees) the founders don't have the bandwidth of time or budget to hire 28 different specialists in every area of the business. They themselves are responsible across everything, so they need the generalist advisor who knows enough about enough to keep them moving forward.
Over time, hire people with deeper specialties. But that doesn't negate the value of the generalist - if they're good, they continue to stay near the top of the company hierarchy where all those specialists merge for leadership, management, and direction.
I like Scott Adams's approach - in many fields you have to be in the Top 1% to stand out. Alternatively, pick 3+ complementary skills (like coding, leadership, public speaking) and get into the top 25% for those skills because the 'talent stack' will help you succeed with more likelihood than needing to be the top 1%.
That may not answer your question. You may be asking: "I want to remain a generalist. How do I do that in a world that keeps trying to drive me to become a specialist?" If that's the question, the answer is to either avoid places that are growing, or to keep switching to jobs that are earlier in this process - to places that need generalists.
Generalists can be a CEO, founder or a manager in a team usually. Someone scrappy enough if needed but can focus on the bigger picture a bit more.
Being a founder myself, I consider myself a Generalist. I do it all. Especially over the years, I have no depth in one thing except trying to build/run a business.
If you want to be a generalist, learn how to work well with people, emotional intelligence, empath,ability to read situations and most important of all, ability to get things done without pointing blame/fingers. Specialists usually like proper environments before they can execute. Good generalists, not so much.