cramaswamy

Alex - I agree with the above example, but my definition of a generalist is someone who knows a little bit of everything - engineering, sales, marketing etc. An awesome programmer is still a deep expertise in my opinion. But I get your point.

I disagree with the generalist comment. Startups have limited $$ in the bank and want a specialist who can hit the road running. However, startups also want someone who is willing to take on additional roles and help out in the overall growth of the company.

One additional challenge for large companies is the dilution of all actions due to the multiple layers. Many companies including Yahoo/GE have initiatives at the highest level that are aimed at correcting the issues highlighted, but the vision and the message gets completely diluted by the time the first line managers act on it. This dilution has to be stopped first for successful implementation of any retention initiatives.