The Jack of All Trades
Most of my career in the Marine Corps was spent in Force Recon. As Recon Marines, we were expected to take on any mission and accomplish it. As a result, we were trained in a wide range of skills that could be applied to solve a particular problem.
We were expected to be able to infiltrate via submarine and small boat and then dive undetected into an enemy-held harbor, HAHO parachute deep into enemy territory to gather information, or fast rope from a helicopter onto a building or ship and rescue hostages.
Since we never had the time or resources to excel at every skill, we became proficient in all of them, adopting the motto, "Jack of all trades, master of none."
In fact, the symbol of the Recon Marine is called the ‘Jack.’
Being called a Jack of all trades can be seen as derogatory. The quote is often used,
“A Jack of all trades is a master of none.”
I was recently reflecting on this when I was asked whether it was best to specialize in a skill or to have a broad range of abilities.
You will get different views by reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers or David Epstein’s Range.
But for me, I favor being the Jack of All Trades. I value versatility over specificity and range over specialization.
One of the best examples I can think of is in the Olympics.
The winner of the Decathlon is widely acknowledged as “The World’s Greatest Athlete.”
In recent memory, Ashton Eaton of the USA is the greatest living decathlete with gold medals in London (12) and Rio (16).
In the decathlon, athletes compete in the 100M Dash, Long Jump, shot put, High Jump, 400M, 110M hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin Throw, and the 1500M.
These events require a wide range of skills, strength, and abilities.
When you compare Eaton’s scores in these events to those of the specialists who competed only in one track and field event, Eaton did not fare well.
In most cases, his times, distances, and heights in individual events would not have made any nation’s Olympic team. For example, he would have placed 23rd in the 100M hurdles at Rio.
It's impressive if you are a regular Joe, but it's not a time that would put you anywhere near the Olympic podium.
But Eaton’s success was based on his ability to do many things well. He is a Jack of all trades and is the World’s greatest athlete.
And the quote above is only the first half of the line from Shakespeare. The full quote reads,
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.”
Of course there is value in specializing, but for most of us, there is an advantage to being versatile, well-rounded, and capable across a broad spectrum of activities.
Until next week,
Keep Walking Point
John
If you have any questions or feedback about today's newsletter or if you'd just like to reach out, email me at john@walkingpoint.org. I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.
