Ask yourself this question... do you have a

Hi Dien,

I'll answer my 3 questions in another post. Here is the question you asked which set of the BIG DEBATE in my mind.

> Are you aiming to become a specialist, or
> just a generalist in your area?

I have vehemently argued with others over the years that SPECIALIZATION or being a SPECIALIST is what will keep a lot of people stuck working as employees for a very long time.

I have basically said that in order to Build any form of real wealth, and EARN MORE one should strive to be a GENERALIST.

Here's my current definition of the two.

Specialists: Need to be good and concentrate on only ONE THING (their specialty) eg. artist, technicians, accountants

Generalists: Have to be good at a variety of things and areas. eg. entrepreneurs, business owners etc.

O.K with those two groups of people defined, here are my challenges with specialization, and my view on Generalists.

1) Specialization could hinder ones earning potential.

- You could be the best computer technician your company has ever seen, however if you don't know how to market those skills, can't communicate or deal with clients, Negotiate, then you will never become a TOP PAID Consultant. (The consultant is a GENERALIST and can BUILD WEALTH through Multiple clients)

- You could be the best, Short Story Writer, in the world but if you don't learn some other skills like how to sell, than you will continue to earn your meager wage.(Remember the example about being a "best selling" author from Kiyosaki's book Rich DAD POOR DAD )

- You could be the best, salesperson at your company, however it doesn't mean that you can go on to become a successful entrepreneur. Many sales people do not go on to build organizations.

2) Specialization stunts Big Business as well

- The specialized departments don't talk to each other, and decision-making doesn't get done quickly enough.
(My personal observation based on my own experience in IT/Telecommunications/Hospitality and Government sectors)

- Nobody really seems to have a clue as to the BIG PICTURE and what is actually happening in the business. (My discussions with some topic Directors, has lead me to question the qualifications needed to hold these positions)

3) Specialization "potentially" stifles adaptability and personal growth

- Have you ever seen the difficulty that some specialists have when they have to
start their own business?

- Or have you ever taken a cracker jack specialist into an area outside of their specialty. Some just seem to have a lot of difficulty doing something NEW.

Generalists on the other hand are some of the Wealthiest People in History.

1) Being a Generalist can earn you more money. You have skill sets you can use to build wealth.
And you can Hire all the specialists you need.

- Bill Gates: Former specialist turned World Richest Man. More than just a computer nerd.

- Andrew Carnegie: When lawyers were asking him questions to test his intelligence replied something like the following "All I have to do is push some buttons and I can have all of your questions answered"

- The President of the United States. Surrounds himself with the specialists. Does he really write those speeches

- Richdad Surrounded himself with specialists Accountants, Lawyers, Financial Advisors

2) Being a Generalists. Encourages you to become more entrepreneurial and can help big business.

- I wonder what would happen if more of the specialist actually had jobs that required them to DO MORE than just their specialty. I have only been exposed to very few of these types of large organizations. SCI (Suarez Corporations Industries is a fantastic example. THANKS GORDON.

3) Having the mindset of a Generalist is what Frees your mind to NEW Possibilities and makes one Very adaptable and able to learn new things. More quickly.

Examples:
- Jay Abraham: Marketing Breakthrough's. He worked in so many industries before he became the highly paid marketing consultant.

- Henry Ford: The concept of the assembly line came from a meat processing plant's system.

- The Mapping of the human GENOME, combined different Specialty areas Science, Technology and Business

- Hey what about NLP? Did it too combine different specialties, to revolutionize therapy?

In Conclusion.

We all might be ONE skill away from Earning a lot more money. Keep Learning.

Think about it. Who earns more, the top Specialist? or the Generalist business owner that Hired them to do the job?

There's my 3 cents.

Thanks for reading through all this.

Duane O. Adolph

P.S

I leave you with a quote from Direct Marketing Legend Benjamin Suarez.

"A businessperson must bring diverse elements such as people, machines, money, and markets into an operational entity...He or she must be able to see relationships between supposedly unrelated variables. He or she must be an innovator, organizer, negotiator, motivator, and most of all, a salesperson...Businesspeople need a huge amount of talent to be successful. Without business, there are no governments, schools, arts, jobs, money goods or services"[/i]

> specialization?

> Sorry I've been quiet of late....

> I've been traveling (again) - this time to
> re-sink my teeth again into the world of
> academia and physics.... I'll write more
> about that in the future....

> Returning back to the hallowed halls of
> university academic life for a short time,
> among all these experts in their fields, has
> made me realize something.

> The power of SPECIALIZATION.

> Think about it.

> Who makes more:

> Specialist doctors, like surgeons?

> Or general practitioners?

> SPECIALISTS earn more, and are more highly
> valued. This is true in general.

> Are you aiming to become a specialist, or
> just a generalist in your area?

> Think about it! It could have an effect on
> your future chances of success!

> - Dien Rice (Ph.D.)