Future of Fisheries: Perspectives for Emerging Professionals

We Are All in This Together: Capitalizing on Individual Abilities for Collective Benefit

William W. Taylor, Nancy Léonard, So-Jung Youn, and C. Paola Ferreri

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874387.ch31

We have all learned, over time, through our daily interactions with a wide variety of people that we have different abilities, natural talents, or skills that we have gained over years of practice. As you expand your professional network, you should challenge yourself to see how the abilities of others can complement yours, especially when these abilities may be very different from what you think would benefit your current project. We use the word “challenge” because taking the time to learn and appreciate other people’s abilities is not often an easy task. Sometimes, you may think that certain people cannot contribute to achieving your objectives. But take the time to discover and appreciate the true value of their potential contribution and you will come to learn why Stephen R. Covey stated that “strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”