Collecting 'Skills'

Hey there,

Last week, I found myself at a dinner party being introduced as "Ajay, the guy who does... well, a bunch of different things." I laughed, but inside I was thinking: Is this a compliment or am I just unfocused?

For years, I worried that my diverse interests—from writing to data analysis to public speaking—meant I wasn't specializing enough. Everyone talks about becoming world-class in ONE thing, right? But then I realized something powerful: my seemingly random collection of skills had actually created something valuable that specialists couldn't easily replicate—a career moat that protected me during industry shifts and opened doors that should have been closed to me.

Why Most Career Advice Gets It Wrong

Most of us have heard the traditional wisdom: pick a lane, get really good at it, and climb that ladder. But in today's rapidly changing job landscape, I've noticed something different happening.

The professionals who seem most resilient aren't just specialists—they're skill collectors who have built unique combinations of abilities that make them extraordinarily valuable in unexpected ways.

Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) calls this "skill stacking," and his own story illustrates it perfectly. He wasn't the world's best artist, businessman, or comedian. Instead, he combined:

• Decent drawing abilities

• Business knowledge from his corporate experience

• A sharp sense of humor

This unique combination created something remarkable that someone with just one of these skills couldn't achieve.

Creating Your Career Moat

A moat, as Warren Buffett describes it, is a competitive advantage that's difficult for others to replicate. Your career moat is what keeps you valuable even when:

• Technology disrupts your industry

• Economic downturns happen

• Your company restructures

Building this moat isn't about collecting random skills—it's about intentionally combining complementary abilities that create unique value. Here's how to start:

1. Identify your core strength What's the one thing you're already known for or naturally good at? This becomes your foundation.

2. Add unexpected complements Instead of doubling down on similar skills, look for contrasting abilities that create valuable tension:

• Technical + communication skills

• Analytical + creative thinking

• Industry expertise + outside perspective

3. Look for the gaps Where do you see opportunities that others are missing? What problems exist between disciplines that no one is addressing?

Real-World Examples of Skill Stacking

I have a friend who combined her psychology background with coding skills to become invaluable in UX research—earning double what her peers make because she bridges two worlds that rarely overlap well.

Another acquaintance paired financial analysis with exceptional storytelling abilities to become a sought-after consultant who can translate complex data into compelling recommendations executives actually understand and act on.

For me, combining writing skills with data analysis and coaching experience created opportunities in content strategy that simply weren't available to pure writers or pure analysts.

Start Building Your Skill Stack Today

You don't need to learn 20 new skills at once. Instead:

1. Map your current skills (even ones you take for granted)

2. Identify one complementary skill that would create unique value

3. Allocate just 20 minutes daily to developing that skill

The beauty of skill stacking is that you don't need to be world-class at everything—being in the top 25% of several complementary skills creates more unique value than being in the top 1% of just one.

Remember: A unique combination of good skills is often more valuable than mastery of a single ability.

Your Turn

What's your current skill stack? What one skill could you add that would create an unusual and valuable combination? Hit reply and let me know—I'd love to hear what unique combination you're working towards.

Until next time,

Ajay

P.S. If you're wondering how to identify truly complementary skills (rather than just random ones), try this quick exercise: Write down three problems in your industry that seem to fall between different disciplines or departments. The skills needed to solve these "in-between" problems often form powerful combinations.