Newly Corporate

On a recent business trip I was working in our office in Chicago, with no client interaction, but I was interacting with other people within our company whom I have never met. I was working with a particular “silo” group in our firm that deals specifically with financial institutions and investment vehicles. I was surprised at the amount of experience associates had within Financial Services (FS).   They had almost zero experience outside of FS!

After only 2 years with the firm they have picked their niche and are sticking with it.  I, on the other hand, have taken another route. I stick my hands into any mess you can imagine. If our company offers the service, I’ve offered to work in that group, approximately 5 different groups in 1.5 years. This brings me to the crux of the post. The way I see it is you can take two approaches to making yourself indispensable to your company.

1) Become a niche expert- take something you love, something your passionate about, learn it and live it. This will make you the go to person concerning your topic. For instance, Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears has become an expert at Kick Returns, certainly a niche segment of football. However, in some industries this may not always work. Sometimes your niche has a profit ceiling or maybe its existence is like my industry which is dependent on congress extending sunsets and enacting tax credits.

2) Become the Renaissance Man/Women Expert – Know about everything. Of course you can’t become an expert about everything, but you can know more than a little. This will build tons of flexibility into your skill set. So instead of being like Frank Thomas who is useless in the NL and will be obsolete when the Designated Hitter is abolished, you’ll be more like Robin Yount who won a MVP at both shortstop and center-field for Brewers! Sorry for the baseball analogy, but you get the point. Likewise as a renaissance man/women you run the risk of stretching yourself to thin and giving of the impression that you are not an expert or close to an expert in anything!

Here is my opinion on whats best for me: I feel I should take this in steps. As a newly corporate person you want to become the indispensable jack of all trades.

When an opportunity arises, in anything, be the first to say “I’ll do it.” Your bosses will admire and respect your proactive and brazen attitude to try anything for the company.

As I progress and learn what I like and don’t like and what I am good at and not good at I will begin narrowing my path. I don’t want to become like my Chicago friends, 2 years into accounting and already very niched into an industry.

Whats best for you? What path are you currently on? Am I totally off and doomed for career failure? Let us hear you!