Dopamine a chemical released by nerve cells, which plays a major role in reward-motivated behavior. For some of us the adrenaline rush comes seeking and mastering new challenges and then moving onto the next.
This habit of seeking new problems to solve goes beyond job titles, roles and responsibilities, educational background and age. These polymaths, knowledge seekers or autodidacts bloom where planted. They thrive when things need to be fixed, they use the knowledge gained from one industry on others, experience with one method leading to another. Monotonous tasks seem arduous.
“It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.”–Eric Hoffer
I find it hard to grasp that organisations hire specialists to break down silos to facilitate continuous flow of information between different business units but individuals on the other hand are encouraged to be specialists within a certain discipline. Unless there are people who can handle multidisciplinary roles transcending departmental borders, I do not see a solution to organisational silos. The divide between tech and business is one such area of concern. People with tech skills are assumed to have little grasp of business acumen while people with strong business understanding are assumed to have limited IT proficiency and people with both business and tech expertise are perceived as average in both. That’s due to our obsession with specialism. Generalists are looked down upon, likened to jack of several trades and master of none. On the contrary, the monkey minds are an asset, being able to connect several dots and improvise solutions based on their creative thinking, envisioning paths beyond their job titles.
Hailing from India, Jugaad was part of the everyday vocabulary. Jugaad in Hindi means makeshift solutions which requires resourcefulness. Resourcefulness is not part of any syllabus, it comes naturally when there’s a scarcity of means. Being able to do more with less. Doing more has to do with understanding several disciplines to put together a solution beyond frameworks and recognized theories.
I came across a book The Neo-Generalist by Kenneth Mikkelsen and Richard Martin which was sort of narrating my mental state — the nomad state, in search of the next problem irrespective of domain, technological challenges or borders. We, the neo-generalists are happy as long as our brains are being harnessed and we are involved in something meaningful. If you identify yourself as neo-generalist then it is a must read. You’re not alone, there’s a whole tribe of us, restless souls, trying to juggle several disciplines at the same time and loving every moment of it!
Settle down — this word does not appeal to neo-generalists. Constant learning and treading on paths not previously traveled are our only focus.
“Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high,
Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough”
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