Being a Generalist

Refusing to double down on nicheification.

I’m a generalist.

Recently I had a fun comment exchange with my longtime friend and colleague Morra Aarons-Mele after she stated that “The AI era is no time for generalists.” Well, I mean, that’s a nail in my career coffin, I suppose, so I had to push back. (Side note: My 3-paragraph comment rule dates many years back and is only a rule I made for myself that if I felt so strongly about something I was willing to leave a 3+ paragraph comment on someone else’s blog or social post, then I oughta put my own web real estate where my mouth was and post about it myself.)

So what’s a generalist anyway? According to emeritus.org, the definition sounds pretty good to me:

A generalist refers to a professional who offers a range of diverse skills and an intelligent mix of knowledge from a variety of disciplines. Handling these diverse roles provides generalists a thorough understanding of all the functioning parts of an industry. Generalists multitask and collaborate to tap into related domains when opportunities arise. This hones their ability to handle unique situations and formulate enduring perspectives. 

On the other hand, Merriam-Webster’s synonyms for generalist do make me say “ouch.”

jack-of-all-trades. hobbyist. layman. dabbler. nonexpert.

Yikes.

Instead of “generalist,” I could prefer terms like multipotentialite or even polymath. Still, I’m willing to admit that these terms may raise an eyebrow vs. being able to state one is a “specialist” or “expert.” It’s not really the best marketing plan to define yourself with a word most people don’t recognize.

As for AI, it’s the greatest support tool for generalists ever. Just in the last few weeks, I used it to make a 7-day #vegan, low FODMAP menu, research a list of UBI pilots and programs in my home state of California as research for my last newsletter, use a recording to make generating the first draft of an online course script 100x easier than sitting down to write it with a blank page in front of me, and brainstorm potential brand names for a client product. AI tools like ChatGPT are mos def generalists.

You know who else has to be a generalist? A CEO. Ask people what the most important role is for the CEO, and you’ll get a lot of answers…chief revenue generator, chief people leader, chief product visionary, chief evangelist and communicator, chief business strategist, chief relationship developer, and you better know your numbers like the back of your hand even when you have a CFO. So where do all the CEOs come from if we drive everyone toward a nicheified future? They probably come from the ranks of people who ignore the advice because they don’t like being put in boxes 🤷🏻‍♀️

I care about this conversation because I know a lot of people like me, who not only have developed and can marshal a wide range of experiences and expertise areas, but who enjoy and are fulfilled by the pursuit of those diverse experiences and expertise areas. I might not enjoy struggling with how best to position myself in a niche-obsessed world, but I enjoy the work of being a generalist.

How do you define yourself? How do you position yourself? Where do you see the future of leadership going? And have you thought about how the rise of AI, particularly generative AI, will influence all of the above? I’d love to know!