Specialist vs Generalist

Had an interesting conversation with my COO Friday regarding a statement made in a recruiting book which argued that you should hire a specialist, not a generalist for a startup. He said the book had it backwards. At a startup, you should hire a generalist.

I think he's right.

It's like when you go backpacking, and you're selecting your gear. You want the lightest load possible, so if any given piece of gear can do more than one thing, there are obvious weight savings. Thus, you can go further with less fatigue, making the most of your available daylight. 

Under different circumstances, and where you aren't bearing the load, but a boat, 4-wheeler, or car is, this approach is far less necessary. In fact, it might even be detrimental if something which does multiple tasks is lost or destroyed while in the field. Which is why a larger business, which has more funding, more cash, can and maybe should hire specialists. 

But for startups, go for generalists. They'll get you farther, faster for the amount cash burned.

Comments

[Derek Dostal]

I have not heard anyone profess to hire a generalist Jeff. I also think you are correct.

Take it one step further and focus on someone with the general financial skills you are looking for and retrain them. Go outside your industry or discipline and bring someone in that maybe is not of the perfect profile that we all would envision.

A strong generalist with willingness and loyalty....could you possibly beat the combination?

[Jennifer Bowen]

I think there's a median between the two that must be found. You need someone who is a specialist in their role so that they are producing the greatest quality and quantity of work. But also someone who isn't afraid to jump in where needed and wear many hats.

It's all about balance.
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Jennifer:

I agree that this is about balance, and a critical part to this is to understand clearly the strengths and weaknesses of the team before adding another person with their strengths and weaknesses into the mix.

But I think we can agree that specialists who fit in great at large concern are usually ill-suited to a startup. System Architects who no longer code, Cost Accountants, HRIS Administrators are all good examples of careers which have arced well beyond what is best for a startup (usually, there are exceptions). Of course, if a given specialist is looking to go into a generalist direction, that's another thing entirely. We all have many capabilities we bring to the table which are not present in a job title, and it's wise for candidates and hiring managers to keep this in mind as we do our dance.