My Kind of Generalist

A quote from "The Myth of the Generalist," a post by Tomasz Tunguz:

"The only meaningful definition of a “generalist” is a specialist who can relate his own small area to the universe of knowledge." --Peter Drucker

In other words, a generalist is someone has demonstrated learning one field, who has an open mind and who can articulate relationships between known domains and new ideas.

A team built of these types of people would be a great fit for a startup - smart, flexible thinkers who communicate well.

Startups bob and weave. They change architectures and products and markets and tactics. Startups need teams who can change the tires on the bus as it’s traveling at 60 mph; they need a team of MacGyvers, who combine a little bit of knowledge, a wad of gum(ption) from their pocket and some raw smarts to solve a problem. That’s my kind of generalist.

via The Myth of the Generalist | LinkedIn.