–Below is a leadership bullet from Tom’s rifle named Shot
SPECIALISTS GENERALLY DON’T EXCEL, at least more than generalists, most of the time. Confused? I am. Well, I am a case of one: a mere .22 caliber farm rifle, I was used often, because I generally got the job done. But my buddy, a .3006 was seldom used—only for special tasks. Am I on the right track?
Actually, no. But generalists tend to rule. According to David Epstein who wrote the book Range, sampling various fields helps a person excel at what one commits to. Certainly, many confirming stories exist in sports where playing multiple activities led to success in one. It seems that sampling is developmental—physical improvement and choice commitment. In organizations good leaders may come from various backgrounds, and it may be that better leaders have had more than just one background.
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