Why does Naval mention "being a multiskilled person"?

Okay, let's talk about this topic.

Why Does Naval Always Say We Should Become "Polymaths" or Have "Multiple Skills"?

Hello! That's an excellent question because it touches the core of personal development. Let me try to explain the essence of Naval's idea in plain language.

Think of being multi-skilled, or a "polymath," as creating a "signature dish." A truly delicious signature dish isn't just because the chef excels at one specific skill, like being the fastest vegetable chopper or the highest spatula juggler. It's because they master heat control, seasoning, ingredient pairing, and presentation, combining these skills to create a flavour that others can't easily replicate.

Naval emphasizes becoming polymathic for similar reasons. The core logic boils down to the following points:

1. Avoid Highly Competitive "Rat Races" and Gain a Decisive Edge

Simply put, becoming the absolute top 1% in any single field globally or nationally is incredibly difficult—akin to scaling a mountain. For example, aiming to be China’s top programmer or the very best designer means competing against hordes of geniuses and intensely driven individuals—it's brutal competition.

However, if you can achieve:

Being in the top 20% among programmers
While also being in the top 20% in public speaking

Then, a programmer who understands technology and can explain complex concepts clearly becomes exponentially more unique and valuable in the market, potentially putting you in the top 1% by scarcity. You don't need to bleed yourself dry being number one in any single area; your combination makes you unique and highly valuable.

Think of it like basketball: you might not beat professional players, but if you're the "best basketball player among programmers," you become a star in the company league. That's a form of gaining an edge by competing on a different dimension.

2. Create Your Unique "Value Stack" for Real Leverage

Naval believes wealth and success come from leverage. A unique combination of skills is your most powerful personal leverage.

For example:

Person A only writes code. They are an engineer.
Person B only does sales. They are a salesperson.

Both are common roles. But what about someone who understands code and sales psychology?

They could become a "Technical Sales Engineer," "Solutions Architect," or "Pre-Sales Consultant," explaining complex technical solutions to large clients and closing million-dollar deals. They could start a business, build a product, and find their first seed users themselves. Their value isn't 1 + 1 = 2; it’s 1 + 1 > 10.

This unique "value stack" gives them a distinct advantage, creating a real professional moat.

3. Build Stronger Resilience in an Uncertain Future

We all see the world is changing fast—AI arrived practically overnight. If you bet your entire career on one specific, easily replaced skill, it's like building your house on a single pillar—extremely risky. If that pillar decays or collapses, the whole house comes down.

In contrast, being multi-skilled means supporting your life with multiple pillars.

You know how to write, understand marketing, and are skilled in design.
Even if AI drafts content for you, you can still use your marketing sense to judge its effectiveness and your design eye to improve the layout.

Your skill combination makes you resilient. If one area falters, you can fall back on others. You'll always find opportunities by adapting your skills in a changing world, rather than getting left behind.

4. Gain a "God's-Eye View" – Spotting Opportunities Others Miss

When your knowledge and skills span different disciplines, your perspective shifts.

A Product Manager who only understands technology might chase technical perfection while neglecting user experience.
A Product Manager who only knows marketing might overpromise but struggle to deliver.

But a Product Manager who understands technology, design, and psychology can think from a higher vantage point. They know technical constraints, understand user needs, and can design intuitive interfaces. They connect dots across knowledge domains to build truly great products.

This cross-disciplinary perspective for innovation is hard for single-domain experts to achieve.

So, How Exactly Do We Do This?

Naval isn't suggesting we become "a jack-of-all-trades, master of none." His advice is:

Build a "T-Shaped" Knowledge Structure:
- The Vertical Bar ("I"): Be deeply competent in your core area of interest or expertise. This is your foundation.
- The Horizontal Bar ("—"): Broaden out and learn 2-3 complementary skills that have synergy with your core. For example, if you're a designer, learn marketing, writing, or user psychology.
Follow Your Genuine Curiosity: Don't force yourself into learning things you dislike merely for the sake of diversification. Pursue skills you are genuinely curious about and enjoy learning. Only passion sustains long-term effort and true mastery.

In summary:

Naval encourages us to become polymathic or multi-skilled, essentially to sidestep futile zero-sum competition, create unique value through distinctive skill combinations, and thus gain greater freedom and a stronger competitive edge in this volatile world.

This isn’t just about making money; it’s about making life more resilient and fulfilling.