"But get this through your head: if you’re not the best at something, you’re replaceable."<p>I disagree. I theory this might be true, but in practice, it's not. I'm often not the best X for a particular job/role/etc, but <i>I'm the best they're going to find</i>.<p>Perhaps especially in software, <i>THE BEST</i> in their field are already turning down work and forging their own paths. THE BEST developer in tech XYZ is not going to close down their startup or leave MS or Google or Amazon to come work for your company's 'agile' team.<p>I feel pretty strong that generalists have the edge in most cases, because they <i>generally</i> have a broader background and can see bigger picture stuff, often can see patterns of how different areas connect (code areas, business areas, etc). You certainly need specialists at some point, but rarely are those specialists <i>the best</i> in their field.<p>I've had a few phone calls with potential clients (and earlier, job negotiations) where people pulled this "we only look for the best XYZ people". At one point during a conversation I told someone (politely, I think) that I happened to know some of 'the best' people in the field they were looking for, and there was no way they were going to move across the country, take an 80% pay cut, and uproot their entire family to come work in some mid-level corporate dev team. On the other hand, I happened to be pretty good and would be interested in stopping by the next day in person to see if I could help solve their problem.<p>Actually, I've used that 'line' (not always the same words, but the same gist) on a few occasions, and in one case got me a foot in the door. It's more about delivery with a bit of humor, catches people off guard I think.