RANGE: WHY GENERALISTS TRIUMPH IN A SPECIALIZED WORLD
We live in a world of specialization. Kids are starting earlier and earlier to specialize in a particular sport, colleges have more and more specialized degrees. The question is, does this specialized focus actually make us better? Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book several years ago called Outliers, which implied that the key to success was specialization. His research showed that the ones who are truly exceptional had become so by putting in roughly 10,000 hours of practice in a specialized field.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein looks at success from a different angle. What David found from sports to boardrooms is that most of the time, the people who are really successful are the ones who are generalist. The ones who have been exposed to a lot of different ideas and experiences throughout their lives.
The author really challenges us to rethink our current approach to parenting, education, and career paths. It could be that the jobs that are most at risk to be replaced by technology or AI will be the specialized ones. From heart surgeons to assembly workers, the more specialized the task, the more likely it will one day be replaced by technology. What AI has struggled with is the complex learning environments that require diverse approaches or knowledge. The woman in IT who solves a problem from something she learned in a freshman philosophy class. Or the computer manufacturing worker that came up with a new process based on what he learned from his day as a kid. Being able to combine different experiences, knowledge, and approaches is truly a human distinctive.
So recently I took a ‘Master Class’. To implement range, I didn’t take one on business or philosophy, instead I took one on Franklin’s BBQ. I don’t even own a smoker! However, now I know about how wood is selected, types of meat, why a smoker is round, what the smoke does inside of the smoker, and the importance of knowing when to wrap and unwrap the meat. (Be warned, this class makes you crave BBQ and a beer in a major way.) I don’t know how or when this information will be useful, but if David is correct, it could be the key to solving my next big problem.
So what can you do to expand as a generalist?
Here are some of my tips:
Listen to a podcast on something different. I have been loving two by Malcolm Gladwell called Revisionist History and one on music, called Broken Record.
Take a community college course in computer programming or photography.
Go to a museum with a different type of art than what is within your norm. Stay until you start to understand an unexpected piece.
Start playing chess. www.chess.com has great lessons, allows you to play people at your level.
Read a book outside of your norm. Maybe one on philosophy or accounting. If you don’t understand it at all, that’s fine!
What are some other ways that you can add range into your life?
-Greg