I suppose that if you are only equipped with a hammer than eventually you see everything as a nail.
I have spent so much time with “experts” in the past few days. The only things they really have in common is that their expertise is so specialised that everything in life is viewed through their narrow range of vision. Every situation presented to them is given an answer related to their areas of competence.
Surely we need to realise that our areas of competence ends at some point? We can’t have an opinion on everything, or can we?
What ever happened to the old school generalist in life? The one who could offer a pretty decent view on things because he / she had a broad range of knowledge that provided a great deal of insight into many different challenges. These days its seems that no one is able to comment except on very narrow areas and as a result tend to ignore other problems or opportunities as a result.
The cynic in me thinks it’s a ploy by professional service firms to argue that they need to bring as many people in as possible in order to complete a job, therefore bumping up their corporate fees. Unfortunately it’s not that simple and while I know many professionals who would quite willingly offer some general advice, their regulatory bodies, driven by lawyers and politicians prohibit them from doing so.
This inability to provide general advice creates a conflict of interests as specialists try to convince clients that the solution needed is one that their specialism provides, if you follow me. By being unable to provide general advice we are cutting off a revenue source and therefore impartial advice at the same time.
Think about it. Message to politicians: stop interfering with all your regulations…
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