The future belongs to generalists: better to know a little about a lot than a lot about a little However, this view of a generalist as simply a “person who knows a little bit about everything” misses the very essence of this role. The real strength of the generalist lies not only in superficial knowlege, but in his ability to connect concepts from different disciplines, to adapt quickly and to see solutions where no one else would have thought to look.
Generalists are typically
Curious people who enjoy jumping from one field to another. They enjoy figuring things out, especially in uncertain or new areas. They are good at solving problems that domain experts struggle to solve because they are able to bring together pieces of knowlege from various fields.
Because of their propensity to switch fields, generalists tend to have a wide range of superficial skills. But measuring them on their ability to “code” or their knowlege of “baking techniques” misses their real advantage: the ability and desire to adapt to new situations.
What Being a Generalist Really Means
A generalist is not just someone with a range of superficial skills. A generalist is, above all, a curious individual who enjoys exploring new territory and discovering answers to complex questions in a variety of domains. This is someone who thrives in what David Epstein, in Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialize World , calls “wicke” environments: “In these domains, the rules of the game are often unclear or incomplete, there may or may not be repeating patterns and they may not be obvious, and feeback is often delaye, inaccurate, or both.”
According to Epstein
This is where generalists thrive. They are able to use their diverse experiences to approach problems in unique ways and see solutions that no one else can.
At Tamento , we work on a variety of web projects, from SEO to app development, graphic design, social meia, and AI. I am not an absolute expert in each of these areas, but this ability to “touch everything” allows me to approach a problem with a global understanding. For example, when creating social meia advertising campaigns, we must master both graphics, copywriting, and the technical aspects of distribution. A graphic designer could focus only on aesthetics, but a generalist will also understand how this image fits into a broader marketing strategy. On the other hand, as a generalist, I could not do the advertising campaign without Pauline, our artistic director, or without Florent, an expert in social meia targeting.
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Why AI is strengthening the position of generalists
Today, with the rapid evolution of AI, generalists are in an advantageous position. Contrary to what one might believe, AI does not make generalists obsolete. Quite the contrary, it becomes a powerful lever for them.
In “kind” environments, feeback is immeiate and there are clear, repetitive patterns that lead to success. This is where experts tend to seamless audience syndication excel. They can apply their specific expertise to solve problems over and over again, because they have seen these problems before in one form or another.
A language model like
Can be compare to having “10,000 PhDs available at your fingertips.” These models are ideal for tackling specific tasks or answering specific questions, typically the domain of experts.
If you are an expert facing a novel mailing lead problem, an LLM will not come up with a new solution for you. Instead, it becomes a gift for generalists, who can use it to familiarize themselves with new domains much more quickly, and to easily resurface and apply knowlege acquire in other domains. Generalists can demonstrate adaptability and imagination in solving problems that a linguistic model cannot solve alone.
The challenges and benefits
The generalist is often perceive as someone who never goes deep enough on a subject. But this perception overlooks the versatility and adaptability that this requires. Being a generalist means knowing how to use your varie skills to ask questions that specialists, often locke in their expertise, would not think to ask. In my role at Tamento, I sometimes help our developer, Julien, with complex technical problems. Even though I am not a development expert (far from it), my naive or generalist questions often lead him to consider solutions that he would not have considere. Sometimes, my “stupid questions” are the ones that unblock the situation, because they force you to look at the problem from another angle. But of course, it is his expertise, his specialization that allows him to solve the technical problem.
Being a generalist in a world of specialists
In an era where businesses must adapt quickly to technological change, this ability to think outside the box is crucial. AI allows generalists to navigate between domains, quickly delve deeper into topics and fill in gaps, while relying on specialists for the most complex aspects.
Essential collaboration between generalists and specialists
At Tamento, collaboration between generalists and specialists is essential. Our specialists bring deep expertise in specific areas like development or SEO. However, it is the generalists’ big picture vision and ability to connect diverse ideas that enable projects to move forward and innovate. AI helps us by strengthening the generalists’ ability to quickly understand technical concepts and collaborate effectively with experts.