When I was
reading the book “RANGE: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by
David Epstein, a story I learnt about elite tennis player Federer made me notice
that starting broad and embracing diverse experiences and perspectives lead to great
progress. The benefits of breadth, diverse experience and interdisciplinary
thinking are key to success.
I will share more about my thoughts on this topic when I finish the book via a separate content but this time I want to highlight an interesting story of Federer.
Mercedes or “Mehr
CDs”
Roger
Federer’s mom was a coach, but she never coached him. He would kick a ball
around with her when he learned to walk. As a boy, he played squash with his
father on Sundays. He dabbled in skiing, wrestling, swimming and skateboarding.
He played basketball, handball, tennis, table tennis, and soccer at school.
"I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved," he
would say.
Many experts
argue that in order to be successful in any field, one must start early, focus
intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. But
what if the opposite is true? Some of the world’s best athletes, musicians,
scientists, artists and inventors are actually generalists, not specialists,
and they present a powerful argument for how to succeed in any field.
