Resources for Generalists - The "Range-o-Verse"

After a recent conversation around what being a "generalist" is, what it means, and how to use that in the job market - rather than put together a summary for one person I thought I'd put together a short online list of my recommendations. Especially after I discovered that LinkedIn will let me edit an article repeatedly, so I can add a couple more resources as they come to mind.

What is a generalist? Am I a generalist?

A generalist is essentially "anyone who doesn't fit into the traditional mould of a specialist" and is open to interpretation. If you don't feel like a specialist, and have a range of skills, that's sufficient to call yourself a generalist and explore from there.

A short list of generalist skills:

I would argue, as a hypothesis rather than as a fact, that "generalists" are just "specialists", but their specialism cuts across existing/traditional specialisms. They're not proficient as absolutely everything, but their skills don't fall between traditional boundaries.

( I think this is an original idea, I welcome short references to better informed people who've undoubtedly said the same )

So, a short list of... meta-specialisms... very much my point of view. Suggestions are welcome but I expect to keep this to ten or less:

• Translation - by existing in more than one discipline, generalists tend to see the relative value of different points of view, and the concepts used, and so can translate ideas or problems or complaints between areas, or resolve disagreements that are just semantics.
• Transferable problem solving - by having worked in more than one discipline, generalists can use that TRIZ-like ability of bring solutions from other areas that specialists would never consider. The benefits of the presentation and marketing of ideas is a good example of this.
• Adversarial analysis - as with the suggestions above, by seeing weaknesses exploited in other areas, a generalist can transfer those tactics to new contexts; especially with the help of specialists.
• Your suggestion might go here.

A short list of generalist resources:

If you're a generalist, just a short list of books to read, or online resources to consider. This is based on my personal experience, and again, I'll keep this short, quality over quantity. In no-particular order:

• Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is a good read. Maybe more optimistic about being a generalist than feels appropriate. My thoughts on the book are here.
• Matthew Syed's Rebel Ideas is similarly a worthwhile read. While it is more focused on team construction or who you should seek views from than on individuals, it's still a good read for a generalist. My thoughts on this book are here.
• Emilie Wapnick's wonderfully titled How to be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up will help you think
• If you're still not sure what you want to be... and that feels like being a generalist, or a multipotentialite, but you're not sure what that means, Emilie Wapnick's legendary TEDx talk is for you. It is not an under-statement to say this presentation has changed people's lives, treat it accordingly.
• The Puttyverse - this is a great online resource/community, especially if you've recently discovered that you're a generalist. There's far more to it than I can explain here, do check out the link.
• Milly Tamati's Generalist World is another great online resource/community to look into. Down on generalist opportunities I predicted it wouldn't last long... I'm glad to be about 16 months wrong and counting.
• Multipotentialite definitions. Being a multipotentialite and a generalist aren't quite the same thing, but again, they're useful terms to think around, and to work out quite what that means to you. This is a useful list of different ways to work/think in different disciplines. For a full explanation, do get hold of Wapnick's book mentioned above.
• Neo-generalism looks like an interesting concept - "The Neo-Generalist explores the changing nature of work by introducing a new and inclusive way of looking at specialists and generalists". As of 19th August 2024 I've not done more than read a couple of posts online. You can find out more here.
• Other shapes of people... do keep in mind ideas like Paint Drip People and Cthulhu Shaped People.

If you're a generalist and disagree with anything here... great, please put your own list together. The "a jack of all trades is a master of none huh huh" point of view impedes organisations in their success and generalists in their opportunities, the more considered and good faith points of view we have on this the better. I'll gladly add a short list of other places to start to this article if it gains any number of views.

( I'm testing how many edits LinkedIn permits in this post, it seems to be more than enough. Also I don't think LinkedIn has version history or control. This is version 0.3, written 19th August 2024 )