How to be the generalist in the room
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
If you often find yourself being the generalist in the room, some basic mental models can help you add to the conversation without having the deep expertise that others in the room possess.
Mental models can help you diagnose problems, recognize patterns, and generally be of use, especially in a problem-solving scenario (which is…always?).
What’s a mental model? A mental model is a way to make sense of the world and understand how things are related. They are useful to help us quickly make sense of a situation and move forward. For example, game theory is a mental model that helps you understand how relationships and trust work.
Here are a few useful ones with some links to go deeper:
Occam’s Razor (aka The Law of Parsimony aka Keep It Simple Stupid.)
It takes real effort to not make things more complex than they need to be. The simplest solution is usually the answer. Think of the last product you designed or built, or the last document you created - did you feel the need to “add more”?
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson's law Says that work expands to fill all time. Understanding this *before* you launch a new project or initiative is crucial. Your time to work on this is finite, but the tasks to be done will only ever grow. Stay vigilant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law
Lean Canvas Model
Where does one begin when they are building something that addresses a problem? The Lean Canvas Model is a robust framework that helps product and business builders to think beyond the product, and consider the customers, the partners etc.
https://medium.com/@steve_mullen/an-introduction-to-lean-canvas-5c17c469d3e0
Jobs to Be Done
Popularised by Clayton Christensen’s, Jobs-to-be-done theory was brilliantly summed up by Theodore Levitt as “people don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit, they want a quarter-inch hole.” What is the pain that your customers experience from lacking a quarter-inch hole? Forget the solution, and focus on the problem
https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done
Pareto Principle
In many situations, about 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes (hence its other name - the 80/20 rule). It appears regularly, such as 20% of your codebase causes 80% of your problems, or 20% of your customers are responsible for 80% of your revenue. Use the 80/20 principle to narrow your problem-solving to address the “vital few”.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/pareto-principle.html
There are many, many more mental models but these alone can carry some serious weight.
