This really clicked for me. What stood out most is how judgment and systems thinking become the real differentiators. If AI handles more execution, the ability to see the whole system, make good calls, and connect domains thoughtfully feels more important than ever.
Thanks John! This is an excellent article and it made think about generalists in a whole new way. The macro view of the strategist combined with the micro view of the builder is how leaders will 10x themselves.
This hits a nerve because it names what so many avoid saying out loud. Generalists aren’t lacking depth. They’re building the maps while everyone else is digging trenches.
The problem isn’t that generalists don’t specialise. It’s that their value doesn’t fit neatly into job specs or org charts.
But in an operating future shaped by complexity, convergence, and constant reinvention -who do you think is holding the centre?
Thanks John, an excellent article as ever. I also think that the reason why future leaders have to be technically competent is that people who report to them have more respect for them, at least from my experience, if they are able to do the things that they require their team to do as well.
This really clicked for me. What stood out most is how judgment and systems thinking become the real differentiators. If AI handles more execution, the ability to see the whole system, make good calls, and connect domains thoughtfully feels more important than ever.
Thanks John! This is an excellent article and it made think about generalists in a whole new way. The macro view of the strategist combined with the micro view of the builder is how leaders will 10x themselves.
I’m glad it shifted how you think about generalists.
Your piece felt like watching someone at a crossroads, holding a map that only shows one path while the landscape actually has many.
Being a generalist isn’t about not choosing it’s about seeing the connections between choices that others miss.
Through the 5 Voices lens, the generalist pattern shows up as strength when teams understand how different voices contribute:
Nurturers bring relational context.
Guardians ground things in detail and reliability.
Creatives spot patterns and possibilities.
Connectors weave meaning and energy between people.
Pioneers push toward clear direction and choice.
Generalists often feel tension because they notice all these threads at once — and then want to help others see them too.
I love that crossroads image, it captures the tension without making it feel like a flaw.
This hits a nerve because it names what so many avoid saying out loud. Generalists aren’t lacking depth. They’re building the maps while everyone else is digging trenches.
The problem isn’t that generalists don’t specialise. It’s that their value doesn’t fit neatly into job specs or org charts.
But in an operating future shaped by complexity, convergence, and constant reinvention -who do you think is holding the centre?
You’re right, job specs struggle with anything that does not sit cleanly in one box.
The tech should be used to not just "do" nut also help learn, and also "do" - better
Tools work best when they make us better, not just faster.
Thanks John, an excellent article as ever. I also think that the reason why future leaders have to be technically competent is that people who report to them have more respect for them, at least from my experience, if they are able to do the things that they require their team to do as well.
That respect point is real… credibility changes when leaders can actually do the work