More Than My Title: The Power of Hybrid Professionals in a Workforce of Experts and Generalists: 1 (The Hybrid Professional)

If you do more than one thing for work, then you are more than one thing.

If this describes you, then you may be a hybrid professional. Until recently, hybrids have been hidden in the workforce. But today and moving forward, the secret is out. 

In today’s world, professional identity is no longer just about being an expert or a generalist. Now, workers can be both. These hybrid professionals have unique talents that defy conventional labels because they work at the intersections of their multiple identities.

Discover how hybrid professionals are revolutionizing the workforce and leading exciting, one-of-a-kind work. If you’re a jack-of-all-trades or trying to figure out what differentiates you from others, give yourself permission to become a hybrid professional and be more than your title. 

You might be a hybrid professional if:

• You are “everything.” You wear multiple hats for work.

• Nobody knows what you do. Your aunt, your mom, your best friend can’t fully describe what you do.

• You need to (re)define your professional brand. You aren’t sure what to call yourself.

 “My guess — and it’s only a guess — is that the intersection of two or more professional identities might reveal a person’s true identity. After all, professional identities are social constructs. They don’t emanate from nature. By challenging them, as hybrids do, we show their limits and open the way for new possibilities.” 

—Daniel Pink, best-selling author of Free Agent Nation and Drive

 

“In discussing the power of hybrid professionals, Berk is drawing a clear picture of the professionals of the future.”

—Marshall Goldsmith, two-time winner of the Thinkers 50 Award for #1 Leadership Thinker in the World, Dartmouth Tuck Professor, and New York Times best-selling author

 

“Berk has found the magic intersection of what the world needs from professionals in the workplace and each individual’s unique mix of potential. It’s time to reclaim our power over one-dimensional job titles and celebrate the hybridity of our talents in our professional narratives.”

—Susan Brennan, associate provost and executive director of Career Education, Wellesley College

Dr. Sarabeth Berk is a hybrid professional who also researches hybrid professional identity. She's a TEDx speaker and was recognized by Colorado Inno as one of 50 "Inno on Fire" recipients, people who are doing incredibly innovative work. Sarabeth calls herself a creative disruptor because she blends her artist/researcher/educator/designer identities to lead and create innovation strategies that radically connect resources and people in new ways. After Sarabeth underwent her own professional identity crisis, she learned she was a hybrid and that concept revolutionized her career path. Now, she's obsessed with changing the way we see the workforce and helping professionals realize that their unique value lies at the intersections of their multiple identities.