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What Is a Wildcard Person?

wildcardpeople.com

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Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#161

Post by prox »

asabla wrote: post #108
lokimedes wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It works just fine for me. Even the best operations wants to stay competitive, and I have yet to meet a CEO with less ambitions than the org can handle. That is where we Wildcards thrive. I build the departments we don’t have, make the prototypes the developers says are impossible (or unattractive technically), prove the business models that yikes the existing sales organizations as they are misaligned with common pr…

I've found my self in this position as well. So far I've managed to identify a few key points which has served me well so far. - Being able to produce results even when there is a lot of unknowns. - Fairly good communication skills across several departments. People usually listens to what you say. - Being known as goto kind of person. If it's about getting the gist about something or direct help of implementing any…

Interesting discussion. My solution has been to sell myself as a troubleshooter. So I usually see patterns and solutions that others do not and in such a case can bring something to table where people get stuck.

A troubleshooter sounds very specialist while it skills are in actuality quite generalist (on the whole)

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#162

Post by manholio »

Scea91 wrote: post #135
thaumaturgy wrote: post #32

17 years ago, there was a popular essay about this sort of person, and the label at the time was "Free Electron": https://randsinrepose.com/archives/free-electron/ Before that, they were known as "generalists", autodidacts, polymaths, etc. The thing is that pretty much any clever person that's easily invested in novel things can become one of these people, so this label isn't reserved for people who are generalists,…

> If you care about things like income and career progression, do not let yourself become one of these people. They aren't valued, and it doesn't take a lot of staring at job postings or talking to hiring managers to figure out why. I have the opposite experience. Being a generalist allowed me to "climb" fast at my current company as I am able to lead projects holistically and coordinate cross-functional teams. I hav…

> industry legends like Jeff Dean or John Carmack

Those are very bad examples that prove the gp's point. Sure, flexible and multitalented people are a huge asset IF they get their big break, if they get involved in a startup at the right time in the right industry, if they are lucky to not get crushed by abusive players etc. etc.

But the chances of success are very slim, you likely won't be John Carmack. For every Carmack there are thousands of failed game developers who never got their break. Starting a tech company in 2022 is very different from 1992 even if you get to Carmack's skill level. Meanwhile, holding a job is something that always works and being a specialist in a high demand area is strongly correlated with financial returns.

I write this as somewhat of a "renaissance man" interested in everything from engineering to coding, to economics, to political science, to philosophy - and even holding advanced degrees in these topics. Sure, I can make my paycheck in tech, but without a managerial track record and access to the upper echelons of capital and corporate power I won't be recognized as a critical asset for an organization nor will make "Kubernetes expert" money.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#163

Post by whywhywhywhy »

robmerki wrote: post #39
kthejoker2 wrote: post #11

As a wildcard person, one thing not mentioned is they need to be complemented by at least one type A, no-nonsense delivery manager who can block their say-yes-to-everything attitude, help them prioritize and focus, and ensure the "boring stuff" like test suites and status reports are flowing. Together this tandem can do truly great things.

This is a superb point. I’m going to add something like that to the article.

Think it points more to the false belief that the “Individual Contributor” path has to stop at the start of the “Manager” path when the reality is it can surpass it.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#164

Post by dalbasal »

thaumaturgy wrote: post #32

17 years ago, there was a popular essay about this sort of person, and the label at the time was "Free Electron": https://randsinrepose.com/archives/free-electron/ Before that, they were known as "generalists", autodidacts, polymaths, etc. The thing is that pretty much any clever person that's easily invested in novel things can become one of these people, so this label isn't reserved for people who are generalists,…

You are right in many senses. Modern organisations do value specialisation, and tend to perceive the organisation as a legible machine with specialist components. This tends to be particularly prevalent among HR, professional management, outside consultants and such.

That sense, I think it's a false perception. Organisations don't really run on specialisation. Generalists are what make the organisation run, with the mist important specialisation being specialisation in the company itself.

Realistically, very few of the supposed specialists really are specialists. There are, of course, a few roles where specialists reside. Roles that require deep or intricate knowledge, but these tend to be few.

IMO, many of the failings in modern organisations are related to this tension between theory or ideal and reality.

People are handed specialised roles, and then expect to be handed tasks that map to this speciality. Very often, the real problems don't fit this mold. This is where we get team where no one can do anythibg unless everyone is doing. everything. It's where we get busywork, because middle managers job becomes finding tasks that fit neatly into roles.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#165

Post by lytefm »

n1c00o wrote: post #157

I have never read something describing me that perfectly, however I'm unsure if the post is not just too generic. Especially in IT where, unless in gigantic and structured corporations, everyone has to hack something everywhere to get it working. I do consider myself somewhat a "wildcard" dude since I do fit all the points listed in the article, or when I compared myself to friends of mine, where they want roles, cat…

> I have never read something describing me that perfectly, however I'm unsure if the post is not just too generic.

It is quite generic. Anyone who ever did something outside of the clearly defined scope of their role can be feel as a wildcard to some extend.

But I'd say there is some difference between „I'm a software dev but I also do a bit of server admin and occasionally customer support“ or „I'm a software dev, but I also do server admin and occasionally customer support, email campaigns, blog posts, modelling and sales“.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#166

Post by anotheryou »

Boy does this describe me well!

I'm actually best at structuring complexity I think, but all the mentioned tasks would totally be something I do (or have done already).

Anyone who wants to hire a wildcard / (technical/UX/AI/senior) product owner? Preferably AI related. I'm in Berlin/remote.

The startup I worked for is now part of a 200 people company and it's not my kind of game anymore.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#167

Post by astrange »

thaumaturgy wrote: post #32

17 years ago, there was a popular essay about this sort of person, and the label at the time was "Free Electron": https://randsinrepose.com/archives/free-electron/ Before that, they were known as "generalists", autodidacts, polymaths, etc. The thing is that pretty much any clever person that's easily invested in novel things can become one of these people, so this label isn't reserved for people who are generalists,…

> 17 years ago, there was a popular essay about this sort of person, and the label at the time was "Free Electron": https://randsinrepose.com/archives/free-electron/

Also: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2007/06/05/smart-and-gets-thi... http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/06/done-and-gets-things... and pop psych tests like MBTI

This kind of essay is good for the author, because writing an essay about "what if there were special people who were awesome and really cool?" attracts readers who think it's about them. Doubt it has much other merit though.

Personally, I try to develop the opposite talent where you don't produce anything. Otherwise they ask you to maintain it!

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#168

Post by lytefm »

robmerki wrote: post #39
kthejoker2 wrote: post #11

As a wildcard person, one thing not mentioned is they need to be complemented by at least one type A, no-nonsense delivery manager who can block their say-yes-to-everything attitude, help them prioritize and focus, and ensure the "boring stuff" like test suites and status reports are flowing. Together this tandem can do truly great things.

This is a superb point. I’m going to add something like that to the article.

Yes! The problem with being a „can-do everything problem solver“ is that I get overloaded with tasks from all over the organization whenever has a question or wants to get something working quickly.

While helping everyone with whatever comes up seems nice, it's not the most valuable way to spend my time. At first, I was annoyed by the „everything goes through the product manager“ - mantra, but now I agree that having someone to filter and prioritize incoming tasks is crucial.

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#169

Post by still_grokking »

lytefm wrote: post #158
still_grokking wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The idea of someone going beyond the norms, systems and processes, rules and regulations to make things work better. An INTJ personality. > Most companies don’t have many people like that. INTJs are very seldom. ~2% of the general population. But whether INTJs map well to what was described as "wildcard" I'm not sure. It was more of a ISTP or ESTP type, I guess. https://www.truity.com/page/16-personality-types-myer…

I'd say INFJ would fit the wildcard description more than INTJ. But that's just my own small-sampled observation and me reading a bit about these personality stereotypes.

INFJ doesn't match with the described "wildcard" in any way, as I see it. (And regarding INTJs it's only the "T").

> Introverted: INFJs are energized by time alone

Matching a "wildcard"? Rather no.

To have many hats you need to be flexible and open with people. Otherwise this won't work out.

Introverts don't like "jumping ship". The "wildcard" on the other hand is good at exactly this, and likes it actually.

> iNtuitive: INFJs focus on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details

Matching a "wildcard"? Quite a strong no.

To "get shit done" you need to focus on the practical side of things, facts and details, not the concepts behind them. Also you need a strong "good enough" attitude, something which someone who is concerned with the big picture and the abstract / theoretical ideas behind that is usually not good at. Philosophizing about shit doesn't get shit done.

> Feeling: INFJs make decisions based on feelings and values

Matching a "wildcard"? Also quite strong no.

To get shit done, and be at the same time good in many practical things, you need "thinking" rather than "feeling".

Values and feelings (especially of others!) don't mater much when you need to execute an urgent task quickly. It's more like "shot first, ask questions later". Someone who is concerned about the feelings of others would have a hard time to do that.

> Judging: INFJs prefer to be planned and organized rather than spontaneous and flexible

Matching a "wildcard"? Also quite sure not.

The described "wildcard" likes to jump in head first. That's the opposite of "planed and organized".

The article even mentions explicitly that "wildcards" are not well organized usually without the help of others.

See further:

https://www.truity.com/personality-type/INFJ

(And compare there with the previously proposed personality types.)

Re: What Is a Wildcard Person?

#170

Post by koonsolo »

This closely resembles the value that I can provide to a company, but I want to add something on top of that.

A manager can assign me any task, and know that it will get done. When there are blockers, the manager is notified. I think this is a huge benefit.

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