In the 2005 best-selling management book A Whole New Mind, author Daniel H. Pink asked the unusual question: what is the most common, and perhaps most important, prefix of our time? His answer: "multi," as in multicultural, multimedia, and multitasking.

Thus company managers must schmooze with clients, get new contracts, coolly decide on the development risks of new products, and stay within budgets and timelines. Big brass who normally spend their days in suits talking about corporate ideals and industrial trends will get dressed up as clowns at year-end parties and tell jokes or perform magic tricks.

For a lot of folks, including myself, being able to excel in many things is a tough challenge. Only 20 years ago, specialization was the norm. Architects who could do structural calculations to the fourth decimal place or lawyers who could recite legal provisions by heart had all they needed for enviable lifetime financial security, with no need to upgrade with any other professional skills. But now that computers do the calculating, and you can get all kinds of advice from the Internet, or now that corporations can outsource virtually any role in the company, traditional job-market strengths are like dust in the wind.

On the other hand, when you think about it, specialization itself is a modern thing. 2500 years ago, Confucius promoted the ideal man who had mastered the six skills of "rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics." In the 15th century, Italy gave us Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci who was engineer, architect, painter, inventor, anatomist and more. If da Vinci were alive today, whatever the vicissitudes of the employment market, he would surely not be left out in the cold.

In the global reshuffle that is happening in the wake of the financial tsunami, "more" really is better when it comes to the job market. This month's cover story refers to multiphase "protean" career planning, which will certainly become increasingly common. In other words, neither the "S type" who can adapt nor the "pi type" with two specializations will be good enough.

But "more" doesn't just mean a shotgun effect. In A Whole New Mind, the author emphasizes the links between reason and emotion, linear logic and lateral imagination. He describes six core abilities, including: not just function, but also design; not just argument, but also narrative; not just specialization, but also integration; not just logic, but also empathy; not just diligence, but also playfulness; and not just income, but also meaning.

In fact, these six abilities fit right with the themes of two other features in this issue: "Seeking Taiwan's Michelin" and "Hot Taiwanese Brands." We have Yin Yih, whose menus trace their roots back to the Ming and Qing dynasties; Shin Yeh, which has taken traditional Taiwanese cuisine upmarket; Free East, which sells clothes while simultaneously promoting Taiwanese art to the world; or Satana, which describes its bags as "made in hell, sold in heaven." All of them are able to add design, meaning, and interest to products that are simple in themselves, and that's how they have the chance to succeed.

Aren't such "multi" demands asking a bit much of people? Should those who have lost their jobs, or are worried about losing their jobs, follow every pop current in a panic? Not necessarily. Learning is naturally important, but so are an open mind and flexibility of attitude. The most important thing is this: After evaluating all the possibilities of life, which ones are really important to you? Which ones can be dispensed with? Understanding yourself and finding a job and lifestyle that you can be happy with are the real keys to satisfaction.