SPECIALIZATION IS FOR INSECTS

I recently read this article from SOFLETE and it touched on a couple of things that stood out to me.

“Tactical athletes play for the highest of stakes. The consequences of failure make the need to train of the utmost importance to all those who partake in this sport. Like athletes in other sports, tactical athletes play team sports. If you train like a specialist, you're doing it wrong. This isn't to say that you can't have hobbies and things that you do on the outside to "supplement" your job performance, but when the "supplement" becomes the main focus, you've entered into the realm of specialty.”

Perhaps this jumped out because it reflects one of my favorite quotes from sci-fi author Robert Heinlein:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

We need to be jacks-of-all-trades. Expert generalists. Coyotes who can adapt to and thrive in any environment. You don’t need to know everything about anything. But we should try to know something about everything. If it directly ties to our chosen profession, maybe a bit more than something. Greg Ellifritz wrote extensively on this idea here and I don’t think I could communicate it clearer. Build those skills boys and girls.