My friend Shazia Ginai made a great post last week about the power of being a generalist. To quote "The version of truth we have been told encourages us to conform and fit a box. In the insight sector people tend to be quant or qual specialists but when you're in leadership you probably should have actual experience working across a range of methodologies as well as disciplines like sales, marketing and finance right?" I couldn't agree more. As someone who has pivoted from one specialization to the next in the data, insights and analytics career, my various roles (researcher, tech entrepreneur, investment banker) may look odd to some, but to me, they form the perfect Venn diagram. The traditional notion of a linear career path is increasingly outdated in this day where employers are increasingly fickle and employees have learned that, often, the fastest path to a promotion or salary increase is to jump ship for a competitor. As such, the concept of a "portfolio career" has been gaining traction, offering an alternative to the conventional notion of picking an industry or sector and then working over many years to perfect a narrow skill set (like accounting or plumbing) over the length of your career. Wondering what the heck a "portfolio career" is and how best to embrace this new way of thinking about work (and ensure you're not a "one hit wonder")? I've got you covered in this month's edition of Scaled (and I've tagged some of my favorite "portfolio career" folks, below). https://lnkd.in/gssCfqcd #mrx #marketing #portfoliocareer #careergrowth #marketresearch ScaleHouse Eileen Campbell eric salama Jamin Brazil Leigh-Brindeland (Brin) Moore Emily Della Maggiora George P. Slefo Owen Hanks Emma Cooper Alex Gelman Stephanie Sandler Marie Audier D'Alessandris Jason Thome Bree R. McKeen Tim Lawton Bruce Friend Crispin Beale Tiama Hanson-Drury Eric Meerkamper Jen Barth Gareth Schweitzer Melinda Moore Denis Cranstoun
Career?! I still don't even know what I want to be when I grow up.
Awesome Kristin, I'm in full support (rewarding careers look more like jungle gyms than ladders), & your POV is inspiring! As a diversified creative-problem solver, I'm T-shaped (vs "I-shape) and it enables me to have greater cognitive empathy for colleagues and partners, AND be a better translator between the business and art/science of Insights.
Thanks, Kristin! I think it's a "Yes, AND..." world. There's real value in becoming famous for something as one builds a career. It does a lot to facilitate a portfolio career in the future. But I'm a huge believer in setting your "Career GPS" for the scenic route! You can get there on a super-highway, but the meandering route is usually a lot more beautiful & rewarding!
So true! Also, surprising how many massive brands were started by people in their 50s. McDonald's Huffington Post Vera Wang IBM Intel Corporation
So true and well said Kristin Luck - I am for sure one of “those” people. I think it’s because I just love learning and am truely interested in so many things.
Thanks Kristin! One thing I have learned, as a lifelong "generalist", is a huge respect for the "specialists" out there. Sometimes we drive eachother absolutely bananas, but when you get a team of different types clicking together that's when the magic truly happens.
I love this encouragement for those of us who don't have the patience to stick with one thing! (or maybe it's those of us that have the passion to get very excited about lots of things!)
So relevant (to me). Love this so much
It makes the career - and life- so much richer !
Community Engagement & Advocacy Leader, Relationship & Community Builder, Curious Connector (of people, resources, & dots), Solution Seeker, Researcher/Eavesdropper, Occasional Poet
7moThis! Love everything about the "portfolio career" concept, Kristin Luck — and so serendipitous as I've been percolating here and there on some related thoughts, but for sure couldn't put it into words. Grateful as always for brilliance in connect the dots so beautifully! You've now got thinking — perhaps no coincidence I'm a big fan of this idea since I (along with 859,112 others between '70-'84*) are forever tied to Tommy Tutone's epic one-hit wonder.... 🤔 *Yep, I researched this. Makin' you proud, I hope!