> Most of the successful engineers and engineering leaders I have had the pleasure of working with were able to hold a discussion on almost any topic, whether technical or not
Reverse Gell-man? https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect#Engl...
Haha yes I've seen that too, I think the distinction is that it is not "fluent on everything" but rather "curious about everything". The best developers I know will happily admit when they don't know something and look it up, no matter the topic.
Exactly, quality thinking can apply to any level of expertise on any topic. You can be a complete novice and still have an interesting conversation