The
focus of the article is on the practical application of skill
stacking.
Skill Stacking
Many
of you have heard of the concept of “skill stacking” popularized
by Dilbert Scot Adams (https://www.scottadamssays.com/).
Put simply, it involves becoming “good enough” at an assembly of
complementary skills instead of exceptional at any one of them.
Becoming
world-class at any one skill is an uphill battle because you are
facing off against a group of people who have better genes, better
luck, or just plain started sooner.
Becoming
pretty good at any skill is much less of a challenge; the goal is to
outperform most of the population, not all of it. The
average person is not that competent at any particular skill.
Being
good at a skill is faster than being world class, so the time saved
may be invested into becoming good at a unique combination of skills
that complement the first (and each other).
Complementary Skills
Skills
are more valuable if they complement each other but are not too
similar.
Pottery
and internal combustion engine design are probably poor complements
(too different). Most poets are probably already decent writers (too
similar).
Gardening
and cooking can work well together but are probably not much pursued
by specialists in either skill.
This page
has some good examples of talent stacks.
Starting the Process
Most
people probably start out specializing in a “hard” skill
(engineering, graphic arts, etc.) and then add skills that are less
likely to stand on their own but work as valuable differentiators
(communications, psychology, foreign language).
This
provides the opportunity to branch out from a position of strength
while maintaining a good fall-back position when hitting those
inevitable career bumps.
Development Tips
As
described in Why Some People are Impossible Talented
(https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191118-what-shapes-a-polymath---and-do-we-need-them-more-than-ever),
Polymaths (people who excel in multiple disciplines) tend to share
the following set of traits:
- Higher than average intelligence
- Open-mindedness
- Curiosity
- Self-reliance
- Individualistic
Intelligence
is pretty much fixed for us, but the other traits can be nurtured and
developed.
There
is evidence that the brain can become saturated by focusing too much
on a single problem, resulting in mental fatigue and little or no
payoff to additional effort. Switching subjects allows the brain to
refresh.
Challenges
It
is not clear to me that skill stacking is valuable in all careers.
Engineering for example relies on depth of knowledge more than
breadth of skill. Specialist positions are filled based on a narrow
range of specs. Skill stacking is likely more valuable for
entrepreneurial, solo, and outward facing positions.
Conclusion
The
ideal of skill stacking is pretty obvious on the face of it, but most
professionals seem to move by default exclusively towards
specialization. Being aware of the opportunities provided by
stepping uniquely sideways is worth keeping in mind.
So
what do you think? Is the skill stack concept valuable, hype, or
something in the middle?
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