As an engineering leader, one of my biggest challenges isn’t just shipping code - it’s building a team that can adapt, innovate, and thrive. I’ve always optimized for traits like grit, a growth mindset, passion, and a love for learning. For a while, I wondered if this was tangential to the industry’s push for deep specialization.

Then I read Martin Fowler’s article on the “Expert Generalists,” and it all clicked. My approach wasn’t tangential; it was the core of building a resilient team.

The Expert Generalist in Action

Fowler defines the Expert Generalist as someone who pairs deep expertise in one area with a broad understanding of others. They are not just specialists; they are polymaths in their domain. This is the engineer who deeply understands back-end systems but can also speak the language of product design, data science, and user experience. This isn’t a new concept, but Fowler gives us a framework to recognize and nurture it.

This model directly validates the very traits I screen for:

• A growth mindset is the foundation. It’s the engine that allows an expert to continually learn new domains, transforming them into a generalist.
• Grit and passion are what drive that individual to go deep. It’s the relentless pursuit of mastery that makes them an “expert” in the first place.

Validated by Range

This aligns perfectly with David Epstein’s book Range, which argues that success in today’s complex world isn’t built on early, narrow specialization. Instead, it’s the ability to draw connections across different fields and apply foundational principles to new problems. Epstein’s work validates that the most valuable problem solvers are those who have a wide breadth of experience to pull from.

As a manager, this gives me a new lens for talent. I’m not just looking for a “JavaScript ninja” or a “Python guru.” I’m looking for a “T-shaped” professional: someone with a deep spike in one area, but with the broad base of knowledge that enables them to solve complex, cross-functional problems. It’s a hiring strategy for the long term.

It’s clear now that the very traits I value - grit, growth, and passion - are not tangential. They are the essential building blocks of the expert generalist. They are the key to building teams that don’t just solve today’s problems but can also pivot to tackle tomorrow’s unknowns.