Cameron HeroldFounder of the COO Alliance & Invest In Your Leaders Training

The Hidden Cost of Being a Generalist | David Lee

23 Apr 2026 · 0 min

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In this interview excerpt, Speaker A asks about the benefits of a generalist approach versus deep specialization. Speaker B explains that being a generalist allows one to understand and support many roles within a company, especially for founders who need help across multiple functions. Generalists thrive in fast‑changing, future‑focused startups rather than large, stable enterprises. However, the downside is the pressure to quickly become competent in many areas, essentially betting on the ability to acquire expertise faster than typical experience would allow.

What do you think is the benefit of kind of taking that generalist approach versus just staying in one lane and being as expert as you can in just one area?
The benefit of being a generalist is that you can walk in the shoes of a lot of your colleagues and you can help a founder that's looking for everything. There's never one function only that is in desperate need. There are multiple functions. I'm not built for extremely large, steady eddy companies. You know, I'm built for companies that are trying to change the future. And being a generalist helps. I think the cost of being a generalist is that you are betting on your ability to become an expert faster than your experience has allowed in a variety of functions or situations.
And that is not always an easy thing to do.
So there's definitely a benefit, but there's also a cost.