Your Curiosity is More Valuable Than Your Expertise

Rethinking Your Role in a World Where AI Handles the Obvious

"Jack of all trades, master of none."  Those were the words my supervisor used to describe me during my part-time job in college. 

It wasn't the first time I'd heard it, and it usually came from people who couldn't understand that I had many interests. Maybe you've heard similar comments.

I think society tries to pigeonhole us and make us behave in a readily acceptable way. Perhaps it is the kindest way people can say, "Hey, I want you to be a success, and here's what worked for me."  I'm not really sure, but I'm glad I didn't listen to them.

And you shouldn't either.

For me, it was music, electronics, computers, math, and a few more areas. I jumped back and forth between projects, working on everything from breadboarding small circuits to writing music to building software. My parents got it, but most of my teachers and other adults didn't, and pressured me to focus on one thing.

While it is true that I did eventually choose to focus primarily on a career in technology, my other interests remain just as strong, if not stronger.  It's those interests that add fuel to the fire and drive me to be more creative by applying things I learned outside of the tech world. Writing music, for example, helped me approach software development with rhythm and flow, like piecing together parts of a puzzle that might be complicated by a change in musical key.

Looking back at the most innovative people I've worked with in my career, it makes sense. Whether you're a technologist with a strong business sense, a visual designer with a love of statistics, or a salesperson who loves to write code, spanning two or more disciplines can make you an indispensable person to have around. In fact, a 2019 McKinsey report noted that hybrid roles are increasingly in demand, with companies seeking employees who span multiple disciplines.

In the age of AI, adopting or maintaining a singular point of focus exposes you to being more easily replaced, regardless of your role. 

That can be overcome by dedicating yourself to bridging gaps between disciplines. Filling the traditional gaps that lead to the formation of operational and communication silos can be done most effectively by thinking outside of what may be your primary job focus.  I witnessed a great example of this when working with a software architect who applied what he learned about user engagement from video games to open discussions about potential user experience changes that might benefit an existing system.

The truth is that there isn't a single role in any company that can't be partially or fully fulfilled by applying some advanced technology. So, rather than throw up our hands and admit defeat, I want to challenge us to step out of the operational mindset that most work requires and think about how we can be more creative while delegating production-oriented tasks to systems, whether mechanical or software-based. 

This perspective is echoed in books like Seth Godin's Linchpin.  In his book, Godin doesn't dismiss deep expertise. Still, he suggests that the generalist with insight into multiple fields is often more valuable than the narrowly focused expert, particularly in creative or leadership roles where connection-making and insight are crucial.

It is also important to note that creativity isn't confined to what we typically think of as "creative" roles.  For example, in the early days of the Internet boom, many consulting firms divided their delivery teams into three main roles: Strategy, Creative, and Technology.  So, it became a framework for deciding where one fits. If you had a business focus, you likely fell into the Strategy role. Software Developers were in the Technology bucket. Visual Designers and User Experience folks were deemed the Creatives.

It used to drive me crazy (OK, it still does) when someone in a strategy or technology role is defined, as a result of this framework, as not being creative. The truth is that everyone is in a creative role. This is not to diminish the creativity of visual designers, which I greatly admire, mainly because anything I attempt in that realm tends to look like the drawings I made in preschool that my parents proudly posted as refrigerator art for all to see.

I've worked with many software engineers who are endlessly creative. The same applies to strategists, project managers, and other roles assumed to fall on the other side of the creative boundary. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I would be cautious about hiring someone who didn't think they had a creative spark. Sometimes, the spark is obvious. Other times, it takes nurturing hidden or latent potential to bring someone out of a societal pigeonhole and into awareness of their inherent creativity. 

And now, with all the AI hype and reality bearing down on us, instead of lamenting AI's arrival, we must learn that we are all designers and need to figure out how to redesign our work to be creative bridge builders. Throwing our hands up is a confession of resistance to change.  The world is constantly changing, and trying to live in a comfortable cocoon, insulated from the changes occurring around you, hoping you will miraculously emerge as a butterfly, is a pipe dream. Always has been. 

A few years ago, I worked with an executive coach, and one of the first questions I asked her was, "What's the difference between an excellent leader and an average leader?"  Her response was that excellent leaders recover more quickly.

Recover from what exactly? "From being dragged into frustration, fear, and hopelessness," she said. Over time, she worked with me to help me recognize when I was operating at that level and taught me how to move beyond it to places where I was operating with courage, engagement, and innovation.

And that's precisely what we need now. Don't let change push you into fear. Find your courage. Engage in the process of thinking about how your role can be approached differently by applying AI, or any new technology, in a way that allows you to be more creative and innovative. And more human. 

There isn't a job function that can't be viewed through the lens of replacement, fully or partially, by technological progress. And this is nothing new. We just happen to be alive at a time when the change can seem overwhelming.  However, our greatest human assets are creativity and resilience.

So, to the people who encouraged me to have a singular focus, I appreciate your concern and advice. But I'll stay put. I believe it's not only possible but as necessary as it has ever been to embrace our unique and varied interests in order to explore how we can leverage what truly makes each of us valuable. 

Yep, it's difficult. Rethinking work is the hardest work there is. And right now, it's the most important work we can do.