When starting a new job, you should prioritize depth first. The best approach is "first narrow, then wide" (처음에는 ‘좁게’, 다음에는 ‘넓게’). During your first 3 to 5 years in an organization, it is highly recommended to focus on selection and concentration, putting aside outside interests to fully master your assigned duties. You must become a specialist before trying to become a multiplayer, as understanding the core depth of your own work requires a dedicated amount of time and complete immersion.
Once you have established professional depth and built up years of experience, you can then lift your head, look around, and expand your breadth. In a professional setting, being a "multiplayer" does not mean knowing completely unrelated trivia, but rather understanding various fields related to your work. As you gain experience, you can widen your perspective by reading comprehensively outside your main domain—such as history or philosophy for technical majors, or technological history for non-technical majors—to grasp the broader flow and connect the dots.
To understand what your colleagues are doing and build a comprehensive view of the organization, you should aim for "Bag-i-jeong" (博而精), which means knowing widely while also knowing at least one area deeply. The easiest but most underutilized way to achieve this is simply by listening well. By paying close attention and listening to the experiences, stories, and advice of your team members, seniors, and superiors, you will naturally understand the workflow and context of other departments. This active listening will eventually build your inner strength, making you a trusted colleague to whom others can confidently delegate important tasks.
