Generalist vs. Specialist

Andrew Woelflein
Jul 7, 2025
1 min read

Business "Generalists" see across business functions to drive successful holistic outcomes. Specialists often develop silo-vision and fail to see the "forest" through their specific "trees".

A great generalist intuitively understands how all the pieces of a business fit and brings that cross-functional insight together for impactful results. While a specialist goes deep to get things done, a generalist goes wide to ensure that the right things are done.

Innovation often occurs at the intersection of functions, which is where a generalist can bring maximum value to any situation.

In a world of specialists, a generalist plays a unique role moving across business boundaries and synthesizing insights into action to move the organization forward.

Recent Posts

See All

How Can an Organization Lower Its Foreign Exchange (FX) Costs By 50% Permanently?

FX costs are embedded in the quoted rate of exchange and they can vary widely by client. So two organizations, both buying the same 100K of Euro, can have enormous cost differences. Most financial off

Words of Wisdom from Retiring Iconic Harvard Business School Professor Bill Sahlman

Prof. Bill Sahlman is an institution unto himself at the Harvard Business School. Here are a few words of wisdom he's shared with alumni during reunions. Working Definition of Entrepreneurship - THE

Reasons why a company that uses foreign exchange (FX) might suddenly stop using FX or switch FX providers unexpectedly.

Companies that regularly use FX can sometimes stop using FX or switch FX providers for no apparent reason. Here are a few reasons why these changes occur: The company had a specific need for FX for a

Strategic Wolf

Generalist vs. Specialist

Recent Posts

Comments