Jack of all Trades versus Specialist of One

This is a topic that I’ve been torn over since high school.  I think maybe I was a good all rounder, but never excelled – like truly excelled, world record holder, Olympic winner, ever.   Don’t get me wrong, I think I am “good” at stuff (and don’t let anyone tell you I’m not), a good mother, a good worker, a good friend; but is just good, good enough?  Most people I know want to be the best at something, just one thing, my 4 year old son (and possibly a couple of my colleagues) misguidedly think they are the best at what they do, we all know there’s no point trying to convince them otherwise, that’s just them.

What are the obvious differences?  I think a specialist is in a great position for a career.  Imagine permission to focus on one pure thing at a time, for a time.  Specialists also often have more negotiating power with employers and can afford their own terms.  And of course you would want to employ a specialist to perform quality and specific jobs.  For example, would you get a cosmetic surgeon to do your hip replacement? No thanks.

Could it be that a specialist has more passion for their chosen expertise, leading to a more engaged job and better outcome?  Passion aside if you are an expert at something specific, whether that is science, art, or law it does put you in a difficult position to progress to a generalist position.  A new manager of a team, that gets catapulted out of their speciality, needs to step up to be a coach, a planner, and be accountable for outputs they have not personally handled.  More generalist skills might afford better outcomes.

I think a nice way to find an answer to this question is to look at output.  Generalists and specialists have both done outstanding things over time.  If fact to look at design as an example of a generalist producing amazing things, we could delve into the legacy that Charles Eames left behind.  Most people know of his greatness for furniture design; however he was also commissioned by large businesses and the American Government to help overcome huge challenges.   An architect by “trade” he continually engineered new ways to look at problems and was driven to find the best quality answers to challenges that weren’t easily solvable.  The opportunities that ignorance gave Eames no doubt contributed to some amazing outputs.

So what are you? Jack or Specialist?