After watching the video that inspired yesterday’s post on Squiggly careers, another popped up that caught my attention.
This talk by Emilie Wapnick featured the concept of multipotenialites.
Emilie believes we are trained to think that we can only become one thing.
This idea of singularity starts when we are very young and adults ask us,
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
This is a challenge for those with multiple passions who don’t want to be just one thing.
The talk went on to cover the following three Superpowers of Multipotentialites:
- Idea Synthesis – Bringing together disparate ideas to find new solutions. She suggests that innovations start at the intersections.
- Rapid Learning – Being less afraid of trying and learning new things. This knowledge is then applied to all problems across disciplines.
- Adaptability – Morph to what you need to be in whatever situation.
While the focus of the talk is on multipotentialites, she also mentions the value specialists who focus on a singular area of expertise.
She believes partnerships between specialists and multipotentialites create great things.
My favorite quote from the talk was this:
“Multipotentialites. Embrace your many passions. Follow your curiosity down those rabbit holes. Explore your intersections.”
– Emilie Wapnick
My Perspective
I’ve spoken about this idea in prior posts here and here.
This talk does a great job of summarizing the benefits and challenges of multipotentialites.
I believe there is continued opportunity to shift the infrastructure of work to better serve this group.
The hiring structures – resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews – are structured for singularity.
Singularity is simple.
Structured.
Organized.
Multipotential is messy.
Non-liner.
Disjointed.
Yet, organizations need both approaches to excel and innovate.
Your Turn
Are you a multipotentialite? If not, do you work with one?
How could organizations better celebrate this type of individual?
What changes could be made to resumes & LinkedIn profiles to show multiple expertise?