The Frontier Is Designed for Generalists
#innovation/frontier #luck #generalist #multidisciplinary
Specialization creates opportunities to solve for niche problems. Generalization creates opportunities to solve problems no one has before. ==Scott Adams popularized the idea of intelligently stacking talents — the Talent Stack. If done right, you become worth more than just doing a single thing.== Thomas Jefferson was later asked why he chose Meriwether Lewis to lead a cross-continent expedition instead of a qualified scientist. He responded by saying, "It was impossible to find a character who, to a complete science in botany, natural history, mineralogy & astronomy, who joined the firmness of constitution & character, prudence, habits adapted to the woods, & a familiarity with Indian manners I deemed requisite for this undertaking. At the latter qualification, Capt. Lewis had." Lewis had a remarkable ability to learn and stack the talents he needed. exist "outside the box" of domain experts. Usually they're deep multidisciplinary thinkers. Yet there is no one better suited to solve frontier (novel) problems. It's as if Lewis's career was dedicated to this moment.