Recent articles

The medical field has always been a realm of various types of specialists. (And when I say “specialists,” I’m including primary care providers, since they too have specialized knowledge compared to a generalist like me.) But in recent years the health care system seems to have added more layers of specialization. We used to say were “going to the doctor”; these days we’re more likely to interact with one or more members of a medical team, each with different credentials and responsibilities....

Recently I was struck by the fact that the 2010 movie The King’s Speech includes several themes relevant to generalism. The Academy Award-winning film is based on actual events in the lives of King George VI and an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. The future king (at that time known as Prince Albert, Duke of York) turns to Logue as his last hope in overcoming a severe stammer. The rest of the movie shows both the progress of the therapy and the development of the two men’s friendship over the course of several years....

From the very beginning of our lives, we are told to specialize. We ask children, “What is your favorite color?” “What is your favorite class?” and of course, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As we get older, it seems choices are increasingly narrow....

From the very beginning of my career, I found myself in situations where I had to learn about complex, highly technical issues and explain them to others. For instance, in my role as a liaison for the US Department of Energy, I educated government officials and others about policies related to the transportation and storage of nuclear waste....

A number of years ago I designed and built a new home for myself. I was working with an architect who had a good reputation in the community and was proud of it. At one point, the architect asked me about the wall separating the great room from the bedroom wing. Did I want 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch drywall installed, and did I want it screwed or nailed? My stomach lurched—a familiar sign that I had no idea what he was talking about. ...

You might know Oprah Winfrey from her long-running talk show. Maybe you’ve picked up her magazines, tuned in to a radio broadcast, seen her in a movie, watched her cable network, or picked up a novel from her book club. A media magnate, she glides from television to movies to magazines to politics and philanthropy, applying what she learns in one situation to make each following one a success. That’s earned her many titles, but what she really embodies is the spirit of a generalist....