Range
Are you a generalist or a specialist? I am definitely a generalist which is why Range by David Epstein really resonated with me. Range highlights the benefits of being able to draw ideas and inspiration from across a variety of disciplines and interests to help solve a problem in a unique way.
The initial focus is on the “Tiger vs Roger” issue – the premise being that Tiger Woods became the best in the world due to just practising golf from a very young age, whereas Roger Federer played numerous sports in his childhood and adolescence which helped make him such a brilliant tennis player. Epstein’s theory is that golf is a “kind” learning environment whereas tennis (along with the real world) is a “wicked” learning environment. In a kind learning environment, if you do the same thing over and over again you get more or less the same results. Whereas in a wicked learning environment you cannot predict what the response is going to be – eg if you do a wonderful forehand, you don’t know what shot your opponent is going to reply with. Therefore to be able to survive in a wicked environment it helps to have a broad range of skills to counter whatever is thrown at you.
Epstein acknowledges that the ‘Tiger story’ of the child prodigy is a much more compelling one, rather than the idea of trying out lots of different things. However as he delves into the benefits of this cross-pollination of ideas, he gives so many examples of where unlikely ideas have combined to create something wonderful (eg Kepler’s invention of astrophysics via thinking that planets were “imbued with souls and riding on interlocking crystalline spheres,” van Gogh’s career including being “a student, an art dealer, a teacher, a bookseller, a prospective pastor and an itinerant catechist,” Nintendo’s Game Boy being created by an engineer seeing someone playing with a calculator on their commute, to name just a few)
I loved this book because it has given me confidence to know that having a diverse range of experiences can be really helpful at work. I know that I can take learnings from each role to give me a different point of view that those who have remained working in a single industry might not have. At the heart of every business is people, processes and numbers – this is regardless of the size of business, industry they are in or their growth trajectory. However, seeing how these elements are used in a variety of settings has meant I can pick out the best things (and leave behind the worst) from every company I have worked in. I can hit the ground running at any new organisation by quickly understanding the similarities and differences in each company. I also use my outside interests (cryptic crosswords and cricket to name just two) to help inform how I think about problems and am prepared to embrace this rather than hide my hobbies.
The world needs generalists and specialists, but after years of being told that being a specialist was the way forward I am so pleased I have found a new tribe who embraces the range of skills we hold.
