I interview new people in Orthopedics every week who are pigeon-holed into specialized careers. They wake up after 10 or 20 or 30 years and wonder how “specialization” happened to them. I call this the “Alex Trebek effect”.
As you know, Alex Trebek just passed away, and many are looking back at his life and Jeopardy career. What we all know that Alex was a record-setting TV host who made us all a bit smarter.
What you may not know is that Alex really wanted to be an Actor and Director, but got stuck as a game show host because he was so darn good at it.
Back to orthopedics.
I talk with Engineers and Sales people and others every week who are so darn good at their jobs that leadership simply cannot envision them doing anything else. Even if the individual has other interests and tremendous skills in other areas.
My advice – Don’t become an Alex Trebek. Bust out of the role that others have defined for you. Have serious conversations with your boss. Now.
We humans were designed to be generalists. “Specialization is for insects.” –Robert Heinlein
