"Range" and the Case for the Unconventional Path

I just finished David Epstein's Range, and it crystallized something I've believed for years but rarely said outright: the world rewards specialists for visible, narrow excellence - but it's generalists who solve the problems that actually matter.

Epstein's argument is simple but radical. In "wicked" domains - ones with shifting rules, ambiguous feedback, and no fixed playbook - breadth of experience beats depth of specialization. Sampling widely before committing isn't a detour. It's the strategy.

I lived this before I had language for it. Twenty-nine years across Chevron's Asia Pacific operations exposed me to finance, business development, property & facilities management, sales, marketing, innovation, strategy, and people leadership - disciplines that don't usually share a desk.

When I founded RXS Meta, I didn't build a single-product consultancy. I built a group spanning AI advisory, government affairs, systems integration, and SaaS commercialization because the problems our clients face don't respect departmental lines either.

Even riding - leading Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Manila as Chapter Director in 2022 & 2023 - taught me more about logistics, risk management, and team cohesion than most case studies.

Range isn't a hedge against expertise. It's how you connect dots that specialists never see are related.

If you've felt pressure to "pick a lane" too early - this book is permission to keep building yours wider.