How to Get Promoted as a Generalist in a Company Full of Specialists
Are you a “Generalist” or “Specialist” at your company? Both exists in most companies and serve distinct purposes. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary
- Generalist is defined as “a person who knows something about a lot of subjects.” – a Partner in a consulting firm is a generalist as he or she would sell work, build relationships, and lead execution teams.
- Specialist is defined as “a person who has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular job, area of study” – a Director in a consulting firm is a specialist who usually go deep on a topic but focus on a specific set of tasks (e.g., Lead execution or serve as SME for all Salesforce implementation for financial service industries)
Are you more likely to be promoted as a “Generalist” or a “Specialist” in a company? Many may actually say Generalist are more likely to be promoted. This is because many of our famous leaders, including the US President, are “Generalist.” Our president needs to deal with domestic issues such as gay marriage, abortion, health care, education, etc.. and at the same time know what to do in foreign policy with every major country. ...
