Pick a lane. Specialize. Stay there.

I looked up to colleagues who knew exactly what they wanted to do, stayed in one industry, and built their expertise in a straight line.

Meanwhile, I never fit neatly into one box.

🌟 I studied business, but I pulled insights from art, history, and culture.

🌟 I loved technology, but I was obsessed with human psychology.

🌟 I thought in strategy, but I felt in stories.

For a long time, I worried I’d never find my place.

But now looking back, my ability to move between disciplines wasn’t a weakness. It was my superpower.

The greatest breakthroughs don’t come from knowing more about what everyone else already knows. They come from connecting ideas that don’t seem to belong together.

AI gives everyone the same information, the same tools, and the same data.

But it can’t tell you what’s worth paying attention to. It can’t curate, edit, or decide what actually matters.

What can’t be replaced when knowledge is commoditized and skills are automated?

TASTE. PERSPECTIVE. JUDGMENT.

Your unique mix of interests isn’t random. It’s your blueprint.

So instead of forcing yourself into a box, ask yourself:

🔥 What unique dots can I connect that no one else sees?

🔥 What unconventional influences shape the way I think?

🔥 What if my detours were actually my competitive edge?

If you’ve ever felt like your path isn’t a straight line, maybe that’s because you weren’t meant to follow one.

Here’s to the original tastemakers, the curious wanderers, and the brave explorers ... when the world zigs, they choose to zag!

SUMMARY

• Trends: Judgment is the new differentiator

• Tips: Lead with range, not rigidity

• Tools: AI tools to amplify taste and judgment

TRENDS

A recent BCG report found that 60% of leaders are overwhelmed by the flood of AI-generated content and insight, yet only 14% trust their teams to interpret it effectively.

Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum’s 2025 outlook places “curiosity and lifelong learning” in the top five skills for leaders navigating AI disruption.

We’ve entered an era where AI gives everyone access to the same data, the same dashboards, the same capabilities.

That levels the playing field but also raises the bar because what matters now is information discernment.

It's no longer about tenure or titles. We’ve moved from “jobs as fixed containers” to “work as dynamic capability sets.”

The leaders who outperform are the ones who know what matters more, rather than the ones who simply know more. 

TIPS

Old Model: “Be a Specialist”

New Model: “Be a Synthesizer”

Strategy: Linear careers trained leaders to go deep in one domain but the most valuable insights come from unexpected intersections.

Action: Encourage your team to draw insights from outside their lane. For example, design from psychology, sales from anthropology, ops from improv.

Old Model: “Prove expertise”

New Model: “Practice curated judgment”

Strategy: AI can generate answers, but it can’t assign meaning. That’s your role.

Action: Build rituals for taste-making with curation sprints, reflection sessions, or “What Actually Matters” roundtables that filter signal from noise.

Old Model: “Follow the framework”

New Model: “Find the pattern”

Strategy: Playbooks are helpful but rigid models break in nonlinear times.

Action: Train teams to pattern-match across disciplines to spot weak signals, connect dots, and build frameworks instead of just following them.

TOOLS

Kern AI – An AI-powered tool for building judgment into workflows, especially useful for labeling, reviewing, and curating data with nuance. Use it to teach teams how to refine AI outputs, not just accept them.

Heuristica – A decision-design app that helps teams map their assumptions and biases before critical decisions. Use before strategy offsites or product prioritization discussions.

Readwise – An AI-augmented reading tool that surfaces, connects, and organizes key ideas from across disciplines. Use to build a personal library of unconventional inspiration and insight.

What problem can only your mix of experiences solve?

Until next time...stay curious!

Cheers,
Nikki

WHEN YOU'RE READY

Here’s how I can help your organization get to the next level:

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