- Report this article
Scott Monty
Scott Monty
Executive Coaching, Speaking & Advisory Services | Timeless Leadership
Published May 26, 2016
+ Follow
You probably know your fair share of specialists. You know— people who have fine-tuned a skill or knowledge about a market segment, who can walk you through all of the particulars of a particular platform or tool. "Specialist" is even part of many peoples' business titles.
These people are valuable. Their grasp of the details and proficiency in execution is what busy executives often need.
But don't confuse them with strategists.
Strategists may have a more fundamental understanding of some of the details, but they perceive how pieces fit together from disparate functions and areas. The strategist can look above the clutter and make sense of an overall program, integrating the tactics that specialists execute.
But there's a distinction.
A specialist is an order-taker. A strategist is an adviser.
A specialist can tell you about one thing. A strategist can find the intersection of many things.
A specialist knows the next development in their area of expertise. A strategist spots trends based on pulling together disparate information that might be outside of a domain of expertise.
Strategists have spent time in their careers as specialists. Specialists are usually less broadly experienced.
In the end, we need both specialists and strategists. But we also need to know when it's appropriate to engage each one.
For more like this, please click here.
Help improve contributions
Mark contributions as unhelpful if you find them irrelevant or not valuable to the article. This feedback is private to you and won’t be shared publicly.
Contribution hidden for you
This feedback is never shared publicly, we’ll use it to show better contributions to everyone.
Like
Celebrate
Support
Love
Insightful
Funny
35
4 Comments
Airelle Thornhill
Digital Storyteller
2y
- Report this comment
This was an awesome breakdown! Great job!
1Reaction 2Reactions
Stuart Blessman
Growing accounts and portfolios through business development, sales support, and strategic account development.
3y
- Report this comment
Excellent distinction!
1Reaction 2Reactions
Lynn Anne Miller
Writer/Editor/Content Creator/Online Engager
7y
- Report this comment
Great description of the differences, Scott. I remember you from your own specialist days - the great world of social media, circa 2010 at Ford.
1Reaction
Sean Amore
Collaborating to Showcase Empowered's Vision, Offerings, and Impact
7y
- Report this comment
While I am a generalist (strategist?) I work with some very, very capable specialists that have strategy, data-driven decision making, and context at the center of their decisions on eCommerce, Creative, Sales, our Contact Center, etc. I always sort of presume that the difference between the two is how "deep" we can go on any one subject vs. the ability to see that subject in perspective to the larger operation/goals.
2Reactions 3Reactions
See more comments
To view or add a comment, sign in
More articles by this author
No more previous content
- How to Find Your Inner Light Mar 28, 2024
- Pursuing Happiness Mar 21, 2024
- A Bridge to Leadership Mar 14, 2024
- It's About Time Feb 29, 2024
- Remote Face-Off with Leadership Feb 22, 2024
- Attention, Please Feb 8, 2024
- Strong Women Rule Feb 1, 2024
- The Hard Part Jan 25, 2024
- Time Well Spent Jan 18, 2024
No more next content
Sign in
Stay updated on your professional world
Sign in
By clicking Continue, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Insights from the community
- Digital Strategy What motivates self-employed digital strategists?
- Business Strategy What are the best ways to engage stakeholders during trend analysis presentations?
- Thought Leadership How do you balance your vision with your target market?
- Consulting What are the most effective ways to make sure your strategic insights are actionable?
- Business Strategy What are the best practices for adapting your global business strategy to local markets?
- Business Architecture What are the benefits of analyzing your business ecosystem?
- Partnerships What's your partnership impact measurement strategy?
- Product Management How do you segment stakeholder groups?
- Business Development How can you validate your business concept with your target audience?
- Market Research How can the means-end chain theory help you identify your audience's motivations?
Others also viewed
- How to get the right insights for your EVP Chloe Morley 3y
- 7 habits of great strategists Jeroen De Flander 9y
- The three types of strategists. And one that isn't. Adam Morgan 7y
- How to Tackle the Art and Science of Being a CMO Dan Rosenberg 1y
- Target Operating Model, why we should worry about them... Andrew McLean 6y
- Expertise and accountability – structuring a team for change Rob Towey 7y
- Three stages of strategy development: avoiding common pitfalls Lyudmila Krokhina 8y
- Trends? How about Integration. Andy Francis 4y
- Consultants "Eating the Lunch" of Agencies? Alec Coughlin 7y
- Send SWAT Teams! SWOT Is Killing Your Vision! JOEL ALPERT ⚡️ 8y
Explore topics
- Sales
- Marketing
- Business Administration
- HR Management
- Content Management
- Engineering
- Soft Skills
- See All