The Snow Pile Metaphor

The grass is liberated in my part of Michigan. I went for a run a few days ago on a 65º day and saw the beginnings of new green shoots coming up in many lawns.

But in a few spots, piles of snow remain. When some people shoveled or plowed their driveways, they put so much of the snow in one place that it has resisted all the sun’s warmth thus far.

Let’s think of this as a metaphor for building skills.

If you want to create a skill set that can take the heat, you need to build in one place. Generalize only to a point, and then focus all efforts on putting every shovelful in the same location. Build that skill area as tall as you possibly can, and buttress it on all sides with related skills.

When all the generalists around you have melted away, you will remain.