This is From The Balance Beam

[TheBalanceBeam] - Confessions of a Consummate Generalist

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THE BALANCE BEAM
Ideas and Inspiration for Creating a Life that Works
Vol. 3 No. 5, April 22, 2002
Published by Success Builders, Inc.
http://www.SuccessBuildersInc.com
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"He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened."
Lao-tzu
In this issue: CONFESSIONS OF A CONSUMMATE GENERALIST
====================================================================== Dear Friends:
As you've probably noticed, The Balance Beam has a somewhat erratic publication schedule. Although my intention is to produce a new issue every couple of weeks, sometimes the interval is longer than that. Part of this is because life is busy. And part of it is because I'm one of those people who's prone to distraction by neat and amazing things, and my to-do list often expands before it contracts. If this sounds familiar, read on.

If you are interested in reading earlier editions of The Balance Beam, you can easily retrieve them by clicking on http://www.successbuildersinc.com/newsletter.html and going to the Archives section. If you are not yet a regular subscriber to The Balance Beam, you can also enter your subscription information at this location.
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Today's Topic: CONFESSIONS OF A CONSUMMATE GENERALIST

I admit it. All my life I've wanted to be an expert. At something, anything. It's always been a fantasy of mine to be identified as a noted authority in a particular field, or to invent something wonderfully original that would solve a significant world problem, or to pursue a hobby with a passion that would fuel my creativity and result in great renown. But what I've become instead, is what my grandmother used to describe as a jack of all trades, master of none.

I was born with a short attention span. Had I come into the world twenty years later, I would no doubt have been identified as a bona fide case of attention deficit disorder. While I love being exposed to and learning new things, I quickly lose interest in the neat idea du jour, and grow impatient to move on to something else that will grab my attention and stimulate my creative thought process.

There are two kinds of people in the world: generalists and specialists. And although in reality, most of us are a blend of the two, it's also true that the vast majority of people have a clear orientation around one or the other. This distinction is especially pronounced in the workplace, where all day long, generalists drive specialists crazy, and vice versa. The challenge is to find ways to leverage their differences so that they complement one another rather than getting in each other's way.

So how do you know a generalist when you see one? The typical generalist sees the world from a big picture perspective and has a gift for seeing connections between things. This can be a huge advantage, as it enables the ability to think in terms of systems and broad impact, a major asset in today's global arena. The flip side of this is a tendency to be short on details and be limited to a surface level understanding of complex problems and issues. Generalists become bored very quickly, which can make for challenges in following up and seeing projects through to the end.

We generalists typically have a stack of half-done works in progress on our desk at any given point in time. We're a walking case of unfinished business and good intentions cast by the wayside. There are dozens of partially read books on our bookshelves, and at home we have a closet full of half-finished oil paintings, needlepoint pictures, furniture refinishing projects and clipped recipes we'll never try. We rarely stick with something long enough to achieve mastery, but we know a little bit about an amazing number of things.

Specialists, on the other hand, have a knack for details and the patience to stick with projects that many of us would find hopelessly mundane. They tend to be exacting and analytical, and are willing to invest the time to thoroughly understand a business issue before leaping to conclusions about how to solve the problem. Most specialists pride themselves on having in-depth knowledge of a particular subject or field, and prefer to develop mastery in that area, vs. diversifying their experience and exposure to many different pursuits.

As you might expect, on the home front specialists are well organized and devoted to a singular hobby or two. They can spend hours on end building model airplanes or identify the most obscure variety of orchid in an exotic nursery. Of course, they don't have one of those closets crammed full of partially finished projects like we generalists do. In fact, their closets are neat and tidy, with a place for everything and everything in its place.

I envy these specialists. They develop genuine expertise around their activities rather than my characteristic lick-and-a-promise approach to life. On the other hand, I get to think of myself as a true Renaissance woman, with eclectic interests and a zest for novelty and variety.

Who are the generalists and specialists in your life? Which orientation best describes how you prefer to work and play? How can you capitalize on the differences that show up in your home and your workplace to most effectively leverage the gifts of both mastery and big-picture thinking?

Maybe it's time to embrace your inner generalist. Or applaud your inner specialist. Or give yourself permission to vacillate between the two. Step into the gifts that they offer you, and remember, variety is the spice of life.
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Words to live by:
"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open."
-Unknown

"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas."
-Linus Pauling

"Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."
-Angelique Arnauld