Jack of all trades master of none.

I spent quite a lot of time last year trying to quantify my skill set, as I cast my eye over my maritime career my first uneasy thoughts on examining my score sheet, was the verse.

"JACK OF ALL TRADES AND MASTER OF NONE”

I am versatile, that was for sure I thrive on the challenge of wearing several hats at any one time, juggling projects and managing multiple tasks is my oxygen. It is all very well turning my hand to so many skills but was I in fact expert in none? By following a mantra to always grasp opportunity did that somehow lesson my value.

However much I have achieved, I still struggle with the occasional moment of imposter syndrome, especially when someone refers to me as an expert I can feel even at my age, distinctly unworthy. This is not the case for everyone, some glide through life with the absolute surety of their rightness their ego unchallenged by doubt or other’s opinion.

There is of course a direct analogy to both my time in the industry and to today’s super yacht crew whose very ethos is still one of being able to respond to change and diverse demands at a moment’s notice, where it is never “not your job” where being versatile and multi skilled is essential, but does that water down their skillset or empower it?

The truth is that I have been so grateful to be able to draw on that diversity of experience, the lessons it has taught me, the ability to have confidence in my opinions and insight, and the most rewarding aspect by far of teaching and sharing my knowledge with others.

What I didn’t realise is that their is a final verse which puts a different spin on things.

“THOUGH OFTEN TIMES BETTER THAN HE WHO HAS ONE"

We are the sum of all our parts, everything we have done is relevant, all that we have been tasked with and mastered enables us to bring so much more to the table. That breadth of multi layered experience is our strength, our power and purpose. So embrace it, be glad of it, be empowered by it and keep pursuing it.