Bring it on…. the re-emergence of the passionate generalist

Can a ‘know it all’ be a builder of insight capital? Or, in fact, is what you need an ‘understand it all’?

Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace, reflects on the character Nikolay, an extraordinary leader, empowerer, manager and influencer …. “He refused to specialise in anything, preferring to keep an eye on the overall estate rather than any of its parts…..and Nickolay’s management produced the most brilliant of results”.

Have you ever stopped to think about those extraordinarily high-impact leaders who know a whole lot about a ‘heap of stuff’ and know it both deeply and profoundly? These often-maligned folks are what I affectionately term the mighty passionate generalists. They often lead and empower teams of well recruited and effectively curated domain specialists, along with other generalists, bringing this mix together with a mighty passion. They lead effectively because they unapologetically deploy both breadth and depth of leadership. They thrive on the unpredictable, they experiment with confidence and creativity and as David Epstein so profoundly postulates in his book “The Range – How Generalists can Triumph in a Specialised World” they develop ‘range’.

Could it be too harsh of me to suggest that the 21st century trend towards elevating specialists, at times even ‘micro-specialists’, to influential leadership positions is a trend potentially towards a mono disciplinary narrowness of thought, constrained influence and limited capacity building? Powering ahead with a mono view, a domain only focus, creates a wake of chaos in the culture and direction in an organisation, in a way only a passionate generalist can understand and correct. There is nothing inherently wrong with specialists. We do need them and must have them in all organisations and communities and each of us often thrives on being one at different times in our career. However, they cannot lead effectively alone.

Research tells us time and time again that multi-disciplinary teams, diverse teams and indeed the artful connection of a range of abilities, skill and colourful experiences of life, will see problems solved successfully. Conundrums love diversity and creativity and a range of possible approaches. John Dewey, an education theorist and pioneer in leading learning explored the seemingly logical thesis that a problem well put and explored with genuine inquiry and creativity (with breadth, depth and therefore range) is he says, “a problem already half solved”.

Passionate generalists don’t have answers nor indeed a single vision genius, but rather a toolkit of processes, experiences, understandings and knowledge sets, to wrap around the problem, the task, the project and bring others to it with motivation and passion. Importantly, passionate generalists who work most effectively as leaders also know when to ‘jettison’ the challenge. They sense when to step back and let others ‘go for it’. They know when to abandon the journey and they know when to convert the mistakes and misadventures to learnings and evolve team and organisational capacity through it. Such practice builds and grows a culture of opportunity, betterment and growth.

Epstein writes, in “Range’ of the concept of Grit. From my perspective, as a long term, and to some extent, an effective generalist, grit as a leadership term is powerful. Grit is a construct that is said to summon both passion and perseverance in service of a long-term goal, challenge, question, problem or project. In relation to grit, in leadership means “it's a marathon, not a sprint” Epstein claims. In other words, gritty people put in sustained effort over time to achieve a high level of success. Specialists and generalists both need grit. How each activates the application of grit may vary and indeed does vary and is where the differential is most apparent. One unanswered question, one for further consideration I have following reflection on the power of “Range Leadership” is pondering just what grit looks like for a specialist leader compared to a generalist leader. Undoubtedly in all this and despite one’s leaning towards specialisation or a generalist focus, it is the extent to which the leader understands themselves, knows themselves and understands their impact as a leader where grit takes form. Truly effective leaders however broad or narrow in their approach, must have sophisticated and honest self-knowledge, know their style, their leadership character, their flaws, their strengths and indeed their leadership impact.

Studies of sportsmen and women, accomplished musicians and indeed successful members of the Arts are almost always synonymous with early specialisation. Golfers as toddlers with putters in their hands, violinists hold the bow at 18 months and gymnasts at the bar and mat at 12 months seem at first to be the norm. In fact, this is not so. There is compelling research into athletes and musicians who go on to be elite in their discipline as having broadly specialised in their early experiences. More so, their elite status can be linked to their generalist foundations. Delaying the specialisation is in fact more the norm for elite musicians and sports folk. Arriving at greatness via a diversity of pathways prevails. There are stories of great Russian pianists who took up the instrument in their twenties having ‘played the field’ in music to that point. The specialisation ‘early narrative’ is not the norm in terms of journey to elite and success in the sporting field or on the stage and likewise for organisations and communities of learning and work. Whilst a singular focus from the start does work for some many and often the most successful leaders in a domain have emerged through diversity and the privileged exposure to a wide range of capabilities, instruments, sports, experiences. They add passion and purpose to this and the formula is set for effectiveness as mighty and passionate generalists.

Almost like a corporate phenomenon, restructuring for efficiency and reshaping organisations to be ‘more agile’ has seen high level consultancies re-invent models of leadership for the workplace. More often than not, the domain specialist is positioned at the helm as consultancies strive for a contemporary model of agility and efficiency.

Of course, specialists in many organisations can and will effectively lead. However, the bias of this writer is that those whose leadership pedigree has formed through broad and deep understandings, experiences, skills and mindsets are the ones most likely to succeed.  Whatever their leadership ‘orientation’, leaders who continue to wear the narrow focussed ‘domain blinkers’ (and we know many wear them) just won’t optimise an organisation. They won’t effectively build collaboration and diversity to challenge problems and embrace projects with creativity and left field opportunities. They risk a sharp-eyed steely focus that can at its worst be blind to possibility, creativity and spontaneity.

I particularly commend the chapter “Fooled by Expertise” in Epstein’s thought-provoking text.  The title says it all. The learnings and advice he provides for an “expert” to be effective are detailed and helpful and provide hope, opportunity and certainly some kudos to the domain specialist. The pitfalls of domain expertise as the only answer are well explored provocatively in this chapter.

I was moved and empowered as a leader by Epstein’s reflections on the leadership style and learning style of Charles Darwin. He emerges powerfully as someone with breadth, depth and range over so much and so many. Epstein writes in defence of the specialist when he explores the criticality of what he terms ‘Hedgehog Experts” producing vital world changing knowledge. The analogy is powerful and the formidable imagery of the hedgehog gives the reader insight into the delicacy and finesse required of a domain specialist to be an effective leader. Albert Einstein comes to mind as a perfect example of a specialist leader with finesse. I commend the reader to further explore the hedgehog leader notion and consider such a typecast in relation to the passionate generalist. What creature might symbolise the passionate generalist? The Owl, the Platypus, the Bee?  

Epstein postulates with curious mischief when he writes of the power and provocative nature of mistakes, loss, failure. This is called “learning” he states. Sometimes it involves putting experience and expertise aside entirely.

So, where are the passionate generalists ending up in this present trend to reshape organisations to be led by specialist area leaders and a very focussed domain specialist organisational design? Positive work cultures need the domain specialist. Let’s be thankful the AMA is led by Doctors and not Engineers. But where will our generalist go as the specialists move into organisations in this rush to restructure and be focussed and agile? Let’s hope they are resilient and waiting with integrity and patience for their reactivation when the ‘rise’ of the passionate generalist returns.

My hope as someone who has seen this trend impact organisational culture, is that these broad and deep leaders continue their passionate ways wherever they ‘land’ in restructures and potentially superficial reviews. May the passionate generalist waiting for their impact to rise again in organisational design, continue build capability, grow inquiry, connect, collaborate and meld their communities wherever they may be hiding. We need passionate generalist to prevail as they ‘wait out’ the impact of the blinkered specialists, to build resilience and effectiveness for the inevitable ‘uprising’ of the generalists to work their magic in cultural change and repair. 

Leaders, whether passionate specialists or passionate generalists can all be effective. This blog seeks unashamedly to celebrate the potential for impact of the passionate generalist. These leaders often lead and empower teams of domain specialists, other generalists and bring this mix together with passion. They lead effectively because they unapologetically have both breadth and depth. They have range. They thrive on the unpredictable, they experiment with confidence and creativity. Spontaneity becomes the norm.

Ultimately in a curious twist of advice, Epstein left me with a challenge. No tool is omnicompetent, he says. “Learning to drop your familiar tools” is a must. Effective leaders are open to change and keen to fit the tools of leadership to the purpose. To do this their breadth and depth of experience must have exposed them to a deep self-knowledge, a thirst for enquiry and a passion for the building capability in others and an open mind for the most effective way to do this; “There is no such thing” he writes, “as a master key that will unlock all leadership doors”. Rather than wielding a single tool, a single focus, effective leaders have managed to collect, protect and deploy an entire tool-shed and they show the power of ‘range’ in an increasingly hyperspecialized world.

 Michael Kearney – Consultant, Leopard Tree, April 2021

Acknowledgement: - “The Range - How Generalists Triumph in a Specialised World” by David Epstein (Macmillan 2019)