Baked In

When you’re trying to figure out how to become a silo jumper, seek out the experts. They’re the generalists. Generalists have made a career out of jumping from one silo to the next. In any company, the generalists are usually easy to spot. They’re the ones whose career path hasn’t been linear. They’ve been in marketing, on the product side, in sales, and maybe even in finance. Usually, it’s the generalists who can get things done. They know whom to ask to get involved in a project. They know where to turn for answers. As a bonus, they can make the mistake or ask the stupid question an expert might not be able to. And they’re not expected to be right every time. Most important, they understand the unspoken system of how things get done. Can you spot the generalists? Seek them out, and start learning from them.