Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

Overview

**A 2019 OWL AWARD SHORTLIST WINNER IN THE BIG IDEA CATEGORY**

Longlisted for the 2019 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.

“Urgent and important. . . an essential read for bosses, parents, coaches, and anyone who cares about improving performance.” —Daniel H. Pink

“So much crucial and revelatory information about performance, success, and education.” —Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet

A powerful argument for how to succeed in any field: develop broad interests and skills while everyone around you is rushing to specialize.

Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.

David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.

Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.

The book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World [Bulk, Wholesale, Quantity] ISBN# 9780735214484 in Hardcover by David Epstein may be ordered in bulk quantities. Minimum starts at 25 copies. Availability based on publisher status and quantity being ordered.