People at the top of their game usually have the same things in common. They lead their teams to victory. Just take legendary professional athletes like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Pele.
Being able to work as a team is the key. And what great leaders teach us, is that the more we understand the people we are leading, the more likely we are to succeed at doing so.
Here’s the deal. We’ve all heard the quote “He’s a jack of all trades and a master of none”.
This is what 90% of people think and believe. But could there be an advantage to being the jack of all trades specifically as a leader?
The answer is yes. Absolutely.
Tilman Fertitta, the CEO of a 3 billion dollar hospitality empire says it all the time. “Ask me anything about my business. Anything. And I’ll know it all”.
In business, being a jack of all trades is about being a generalist. It’s about knowing how to do everybody’s job, not actually doing.
Think about it. The typical corporate structure has salespeople who sell, middle managers who manage teams, and upper management consisting of the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and the CEO.
It’s not a coincidence that corporations are structured this way, with specialists in finance and operations at the top. And it’s also not a coincidence that the CEO needs to know how to do the CFO’s and the COO’s job to some capacity, in order to lead them effectively. It’s just simple logic.
Leaders know how to motivate people. And it would be very hard to motivate someone to do something you can’t personally do or understand. Just imagine being the financial advisor that everybody knows is in serious debt. Good luck trying to convince clients that you know how to manage money.
There are certainly situations where being the jack of all trades is detrimental. But from a leadership standpoint, being a jack of all trades can sometimes be an advantage.
