The Pros and Cons of Specialization - Be Wary!

I've been a long-time fan of science fiction author Robert Heinlein. His observation on specialization, and that it's for insects and not
humans, often comes to mind as I reflect on recent events. I think it's worth keeping in mind and recognize what specialization can and can not do for you.

In general I believe specialization is a good thing. How far you take your particular specialty is entirely dependent on where it is you want to go. Simply stated, a marine biologist who is more than happy to study and teach about the inner workings of single celled animals in the Mississippi Delta for the majority of their life is an extreme example of specialization. This isn't a fictitious example - I know of such a person. This individual has a passion for discovery and finds that one lifetime is probably inadequate to uncover all the mysteries and make sens of them for the world. This individual might not have any strong desires to branch out into other areas of biology, and is perfectly comfortable with their scope of study.

Consider the business world however and the above example. The above type of specialty is dangerous if to much time is spent on it in the course of a career where the ultimate goal is to lead. Or, be given the opportunity to use their skills and acumen in other areas. Such focused specialty is almost doomed to confine the individual to a very narrow band of growth potential.

In reality there is nothing inherently wrong with focused specialty, but one should be aware that it can happen quite naturally without the individual realizing it. Then later, years passed, the individual could find himself limited in the opportunities available to him. I know of such individuals. One manager I know got exactly what he wanted, a prestigious position managing a large organization. The problem he has now is he has no where to go. He's reached his pinacle in his field and isn't recognized for anything else but leading a certain type of organization. Furthermore his management skills and capabilities fall short of what one would expect from an enterprise leader because what got him to where he is was solely due to technical competence, not leadership competence. He's socially incapable of engaging with colleagues and building trust. So he's limited in that he doesn't have followers and isn't recognized in his field as a true leader other than in the purely technical sense.

My message to you is to be wary of specialization. What Heinlein really meant with his idea is that specialization is a quick path to extinction, or in the business sense, irrelevance. In my view a generalist with certain strengths in specialties is probably the better route if you want to be considered for roles of greater responsibility and diversity.

I believe you can focus and explore a specialty and also develop a broader set of expertise and capabilities. Doing both, not only can win you rewards and opportunities in the short term, it can set you up to be able to exploit diverse opportunities in the future.