A friend asked me a while back if I could take a look at her computer because it was “acting funny.” She knew I was a “computer person” and assumed that I could help with her issue. It took some time, but I finally figured out what the problem was. I didn’t have to tell her I wasn’t that kind of “computer person” or refer her to someone else.

Oftentimes in business, I think we generalize people’s roles a bit too much. We say, “that’s the IT guy” or “she’s in sales,” and so on. May work for casual conversation, but I think it’s important to recognize that people do tend to develop specializations as they go down their chosen career paths.