How To Be a Multidisciplinary Security Professional

The world of security has changed over the last decade, and security professionals now consistently talk about being a “generalist” versus a “specialist.” We might also use the term “multidisciplinary security professional” instead of generalist, but they mean essentially the same thing. Complexity in the security world now requires protectors and analysts to be knowledgeable on even more topics. Furthermore, security budgets are always tight, and there are not enough protectors and analysts to be dedicated to only a few subjects. While the government is able to have ten analysts focused on one subject, the private sector will have a single analyst focus on ten subjects. As such, it would behoove security professionals to think hard about how to become multidisciplinary, so this week we will look at steps they can take to do that.

The best book on the subject of being a generalist is Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein, and every security professional should read this book. Epstein details the many ways that generalists thrive in a specialized world, especially because they can draw from multiple areas to apply ideas in novel ways. For example, scientists are far more likely to win a Nobel prize if they had spent time in a different area from their specialty. A key reason for that is they will take an idea or paradigm from the different area and revolutionize their own area of expertise. As Epstein wrote, “In a wicked (complex) world, relying upon experience from a single domain is not only limiting, it can be disastrous.” An important idea in his book is that generalists should have a “T” type of approach. By that Epstein means people should develop a deep expertise in one area (the downward part of the T) while gaining shallow knowledge in as many areas as possible to enhance their expertise in that primary area (the horizontal part of the T). To alter the aphorism better known for this idea: jack of all trades and master of some.

To be a generalist, the advice is often to be curious and a life-long learner. Although that is fundamentally true, the advice is too amorphous to be a real plan. Security professionals have limited time, so they need to craft an operational plan to be successful. The following steps offer security professionals a guide to becoming multidisciplinary through concrete steps.

Steps to Being a Security Generalist

Define the topic of your “T”

Before one can be a generalist, you need to determine the primary area or discipline that will be your expertise. This is because it will guide your learning objectives and skills development along with anchoring you to a particular paradigm or framework. Furthermore, being a generalist can only work if there is a primary area of expertise because that is where you will be applying novel ideas to solve problems. Security professionals should not have a problem deciding their primary area, such as executive protection, geopolitical risk, or security monitoring. That also tells the professional where to spend the majority of their time when it comes to studying and skills development.

Read books about your discipline

There is no better learning tool than reading books because experts, researchers, and professionals are providing a complete argument and point of view for you to learn from (or reject). And when a professional decides their primary area of expertise, then they need to dedicate a significant amount of time studying and reading about that area. Experience is not enough as that is only your perspective. General James Mattis, former Secretary of Defense, put it bluntly, “If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you.”

Read books outside your discipline

Now, after developing a healthy amount of expertise in your primary area, you should explore books and study material outside your area of expertise AND even the security domain. Read about scientific inquiry, novels, history, philosophy, and security books not directly related to your particular area. If you’re in executive protection, then read books on intelligence. If you’re in intelligence, then read books on red teaming. If you’re in travel security, then read books on cybersecurity. Find sources that can give you ideas to apply to your primary area.

Cross-train (but not in the stupid way)

Organizations will often have people “cross-train” so that should an event occur the security professional can take on a different position. These trainings are often done poorly and typically just observing someone doing their job for a while. That’s not the kind of cross training that should happen. If you’re an intelligence analyst, then join an EP agent through the entire process of operational planning and go with them to an event or on surveillance. EP agents should sit with an intelligence analyst as they come up with a research plan, gather data, and interpret the results. That is the kind of cross-training that will help security professionals understand the different disciplines.

Take trainings outside your discipline (new skills)

This one can be difficult because time in our lives is limited, but security professionals should at least seek to develop one new skill per year outside their primary area of expertise. This could be certifications, on-the-job training, or online classes. The point, though, is to expand your mind by adding to your repertoire. Being a multidisciplinary security professional means having a Swiss Army knife of tools available to deal with new or complicated situations, not just a hammer that sees everything as nails.

Develop a non-security hobby

Hobbies are not only important to expand our human experience and offer respites from daily turmoil, but they also can teach us many lessons in the security profession. A few examples. Chess is a fantastic hobby that forces players to think step-by-step to achieve their objective and to see the whole board. Lessons easily utilized in security. Or take cooking. Recipes will give you step-by-step guides, but sometimes you need to be adaptable (say if you’re missing an ingredient or come up with an idea midway through the dish). Non-security hobbies are critical to self-improvement.

Treat critical thinking as a hard skill

This might be the most difficult step in this guide, but in many ways, it is the most important. Practically all security professionals agree that critical thinking is an important skill to have, but they do not take time to practice it as an actual skill. They do not study Holmesian logic, abductive reasoning, formal/informal logical fallacies, or structured analytic techniques. Nor do they actively apply those critical thinking skills to situations at work by breaking down the problems and intellectually working through them (when it is not an emergency and fast reactions aren’t necessary). All security organizations should see critical thinking as a hard skill that requires consistent practice and application, which will allow protectors to engage in most disciplines and areas because they have the ability to work through them on a mental level.

Travel to new places

Some in the security industry believe that travel is the best mechanism to understand the complexity of the world and become more developed in your security expertise. While travel is not absolutely necessary to do that, it can be a powerful tool to expand your mind and give you experiences that can provide insight into issues you’re facing. The truth is that short trips will not make one an expert in a region (you really need to live somewhere at least a year to do that). Keeping that in mind, travel can help security professionals if they intentionally seek to learn from the trip and observe how those places operate (similarly or differently to your own). Museums, walks in the city, restaurants, driving, etc. all tell you about a place, and security professionals can keep those tidbits of information in mind while doing their jobs. Also, travel doesn’t necessarily mean abroad. America is a big, beautiful country with dozens of sub-cultures and 15 ecoregions.

Find a creative outlet

Imagination is the key to being a generalist. Without imagination you cannot take from a different area and see new and innovative ways to apply it to your own. Creative outlets take all kinds of forms. Knitting, drawing, writing, painting, puzzles, dancing, crafting, etc. Whatever the creative outlet is doesn’t matter, but all security professionals need to let their imaginations run wild sometimes. It will help them with their work by letting their minds see things differently.

There is no "right way" to become a multidisciplinary security professional, but this guide offers a few steps that people can take who seek to be generalists. The future will be filled with AI-driven products, emerging technology, and an ever more complex geopolitical landscape. No one can truly develop an expertise in all of those issues, which is why being a generalist will help security professionals as they constantly adapt to revolutionary change. Adaptability is what we seek, and the broader one's knowledge and skills are, the more adaptable they are.