I was sitting in BJJ class the other day and my coach made that very same salient thought provoking quote that actually got me thinking.
In an increasingly specialized rapid moving world.(With AI getting smarter) Sometimes the competitive advantage isn’t nessicarily being the best at one thing.
Its being exceptionally good at combining multiple.
Shouts out Scott Adams, with the skill stacking concept.
As long as that same skill stacking system feeds into one primary thing you’re good at (which is the caveat)
Lets use george the rush st pierre as the poster boy for this.
GSP wasn’t the best boxer in MMA history.
He wasnt even the best wrestler.
Or even the greatest submission grappler?
But yet he is STILL arguably the greatest at mixing all of those together into one cohesive system.
Then adapting when the situation called for it.
His genius wasnt in the individual abilities (outside of being athletic)
Because its really simple when you break it down to bullets.
> His wrestling made his striking more effective
> His striking created opportunities for takedowns
> Then his grappling controlled where and when the fight needed to actually take place.
And thats ALL he actually needed.
The reason im telling you all of this is to counter the ever appararent doomerism.
You are all subscribing too. And i know it makes sense logically because.
AI can now help you:
Write code without being a career developer.
Analyse data without being a statistician.
Produce creative assets without being a graphic designer.
Conduct research without spending years building a research infrastructure.
Automate processes without being an experienced software engineer.
And because that brain of yours is a prediction based fear/threat machine, It makes you only available to see the doom
But all that REALLY means is that it changes where the leverage is.
And as good old Archimedes famously stated, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world”
And that we shall. (By seeing where the leverage changes too)
Introducing the T-shaped individual
Ok lets be honest with each other. Noone wants you if you’re average at everything. > Shining objects on top of shit are still shit. Therefore You need to develop at-least one S-tier skill that people remember you for. For me thats been bloodwork and health coaching. I have repeadately demonstrated that I am extremely competent in this area. Ive spent thousands of hours in that domain with great sucess, even if i dont market myself, people still contact me for my help.
For you that might be different. It could be AI, design. You need one primary skill and be a generalist everywhere else so that it feeds into your primary skill. This is how you become a T-shaped individual.
Ill break it down to bullets for you
One deep competency: Something you understand exceptionally well
Broad supporting competencies: Enough knowledge across adjacent disciplines to connect them.
AI leverage: The ability to use tools to extend your capabilities.
Systems thinking: Understanding how the individual components interact.
Meaning your depth gives you an anchor to fall back on, and your breadth gives you options that extend out, then AI gives you leverage.
Your ability to synthesise determines what you can ACTUALLY build.
The future belongs to the T-shaped individual.
Thanks for reading my morning rambles
Oran the biohacker.