Specialization is what made the industrial revolution possible. Or, more accurately, its what made the industrial revolution so impactful in society. Specialization allows people to get very good at a relatively small set of skills. Then, combining that specialized skill set with the skills of others, you can form the Captain Planet of industry. Working in harmony, a group of specialists can accomplish things that a group of generalists may not.
This has lead to a feeling in the world that specialists are more important than generalists. SME, or Subject Matter Expert, is an important title in many organizations. They have concentrated some specific area of knowledge in one person while making them available to the entire institution to spread the wealth.
There are two big problems with this thinking, though. First, concentrating knowledge like that leads to a culture that values knowledge hoarding rather than knowledge sharing. An SME is only as valuable as his knowledge, and if he keeps sharing and educating, he may eventually work himself out of a job. Additionally, having more knowledge that others gives you a special status or power. Keeping that power is another reason some people are reluctant to spread learning around an organization.
Second, specialization really impacts the ability to think critically and laterally. I believe that the more diverse your experience, the better the skills at problem solving. That doesn't just apply to specific fields, but also across them. Knowledge of linguistics may help with math. Chemistry may help with business. Cross-training enables your mind to connect seemingly unrelated concepts into new ideas that may change the world.
So I implore you, do not overlook the importance of the broad thinkers in your organization. If, for no other reason, than some day you will depend on them to provide the direction and leadership that all companies need.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Present-Fighting vs. Future-Fighting
In business, there are two very important sets of responsibilities. The first focuses on day-to-day operations. It is very important that things don't go out of whack, because no one likes change. Your customers will be mad, your boss will be disappointed, your coworkers may be disdainful, your house plant will wilt and regulators may slap handcuffs on someone. I'm going to call it present-fighting mode, because your job is to maintain the status quo. Sadly, this has nothing to do with boxing gifts. :(
The second focuses on the future. What is the future, you ask? No one knows, and that's why it is important to think about it. Unfortunately for those engaged in firefighting, the future will bring change and people will have to adapt. You should be thinking about future change some of the time, so you don't get blindsided. You're preventing yourself from being marginalized, rather than making others happy. Here we'll call it future-fighting, because you need to find the prevent the new status quo from gobbling you up like a grue.
At my experience level and age, most people I know are focused on present-fighting. That is their job and there is a lot to be said for doing your job well. Doing your job poorly, for example, will get you fired. No one asks the lower-level people to look at anything outside the here-and-now, so few people do. But you need to! You need to devote at least some time, like 30 minutes per day, to thinking about and planning for the future. As you move up in an organization, future-fighting becomes more important and can lead you as high as you want to go.
The second focuses on the future. What is the future, you ask? No one knows, and that's why it is important to think about it. Unfortunately for those engaged in firefighting, the future will bring change and people will have to adapt. You should be thinking about future change some of the time, so you don't get blindsided. You're preventing yourself from being marginalized, rather than making others happy. Here we'll call it future-fighting, because you need to find the prevent the new status quo from gobbling you up like a grue.
At my experience level and age, most people I know are focused on present-fighting. That is their job and there is a lot to be said for doing your job well. Doing your job poorly, for example, will get you fired. No one asks the lower-level people to look at anything outside the here-and-now, so few people do. But you need to! You need to devote at least some time, like 30 minutes per day, to thinking about and planning for the future. As you move up in an organization, future-fighting becomes more important and can lead you as high as you want to go.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Infographic Resumes
I've just been introduced to the amazing world of infographic resumes. I'm so impressed that people decided their resume needed a little spice, and decided to personalize and visualize them. An infographic resume is a picture containing the thousand words that is your work history. Of course, there are often additional words to explain the pie chart, but I'm not counting those.
From what I've seen, most of the infographic resumes are done by graphic artists. They have the artists eye to create something visual and enticing, and the skill to make it happen. Oh, I've seen a few from engineers or computer programmers, but the skills required definitely hide themselves well in non-artist professions.
I've thought about creating my own. There are a ton of different graph types that would make short work of my entire work history. But I'd want it to be representative of me, as well. So... it would need something like a labyrinth with a single path picked out. Or maybe a juggling club. Or my own personal logo, which I've been working on.
These resumes are great for those who want to show off their personality and have jobs that could encourage that. One purpose of a resume is to get an initial interview, and an infographic resume would succeed splendidly, if I was the HR manager. Just don't overdo it, or expect that a visual resume with pictures of fluffy bunnies skipping in the meadow will get you a job as an exterminator.
From what I've seen, most of the infographic resumes are done by graphic artists. They have the artists eye to create something visual and enticing, and the skill to make it happen. Oh, I've seen a few from engineers or computer programmers, but the skills required definitely hide themselves well in non-artist professions.
I've thought about creating my own. There are a ton of different graph types that would make short work of my entire work history. But I'd want it to be representative of me, as well. So... it would need something like a labyrinth with a single path picked out. Or maybe a juggling club. Or my own personal logo, which I've been working on.
These resumes are great for those who want to show off their personality and have jobs that could encourage that. One purpose of a resume is to get an initial interview, and an infographic resume would succeed splendidly, if I was the HR manager. Just don't overdo it, or expect that a visual resume with pictures of fluffy bunnies skipping in the meadow will get you a job as an exterminator.
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