Latest Book Review: Range, by David Epstein

What is it that makes a star performer, a star performer? What is the ultimate career path that we should follow to give ourselves the best chance of career success later down the line?

Is it better to have a career path clearly defined and to chase and follow-it down a narrow path or is there value in being unclear in what your true purpose in life is, and in taking your time to explore various things and discover it in due time?

All of these are relevant questions and ones I have wrestled with myself at times in my career and who many of my clients and coachees / mentees have wrestled with also.

Range was a random discovery on a bookshelf in a random corner of the world - like a moth, i'm attracted to brightly coloured things. Written by esteemed author, David Epstein of 'the Sports Gene' fame, it shines a light on the value in being an 'all rounder'. Through a range (see what I did there) of case studies and examples, he lifts the lid on the benefit being a 'generalist' can off in terms of career trajectory and in performance as a whole. In a paraphrased take on his words, there are some professions where being a narrow-field specialist can help you find your way to the top of your profession but in most cases, having a more general understanding of business and real world experience of a variety of disciplines can have a more tangible benefit in your ability to perform better and progress faster over the long term. Epstein provides the evidence and understanding of how its ok to take your time in finding your purpose and matching your career path to that destiny. That there is real benefit - to self and to organisations - in having experienced multiple sides of an organisation and how pushing on doors and trying things out can lead you to ultimately finding your perfect fit. This is not to say that we should look to only be a 'generalist' but rather to take time to experience lots of things as when we do eventually find our allotted career path in life, we will have an all round knowledge that accompanies the specialism we eventually lock into.

Absolutely, become a specialist in something, but take your time to find what that specialism should be by exposing yourself to a range of different things that give you an all round knowledge, appreciation and understanding of how the wider world works. You'll be better for it as a result in most instances by all accounts.