Taylorisms: The wit and witticisms of Professor William W. Taylor

While graduate students often see a bound copy of their theses or dissertations as the embodiment of their graduate career, as a student and mentee of University Distinguished Professor William W. Taylor (Bill), my dissertation was only one “piece of the pie” that comprised my graduate career. Like many Taylor lab students, the hardbound copy of my dissertation cannot even fractionally represent my education and professional development at Michigan State University (MSU). Rather, it is the countless small experiential lessons along the way that have molded me into the professional I am today.One of the clearest ways that I've found Bill's influence resonates with me, professionally and even in everyday life, is that I often hear many of his most common phrases, “Taylorisms,” in my head in response to challenges and opportunities. Facing a barrier to something you want to achieve? Don't worry—“everything is negotiable.” Want to defuse some tension or appeal to the human side of your audience? Relax—“use a dog photo!” Below, I share just a few of the many Taylorisms that I find typify Bill's approach to research, mentorship, and his general outlook on life (refer to Kocik, this issue, for more specificity on editing Taylorisms).Bill is a big thinker. He instills in his students and mentees the importance of not setting your sights too low but also recognizes that big projects and big plans require investment (e.g., time, effort, financing), often in the face of some uncertainty. However, if you have the confidence in your capabilities, this risk is low and the return on investment is high. The MSU Fly Gals, for example, is a program that introduced female natural resource professionals to the art and sport of fly fishing. Bill had to use his social capital and financial capital to get the initiative started and keep it running but the program is still paying dividends through the career confidence and opportunities for participants (refer to Sadler, this issue, for more on MSU Fly Gals).Bill doesn't take no for an answer; he is a master negotiator. He is able to balance multiple bargaining discussions simultaneously which, ultimately, lead to the outcomes he was angling for from the beginning. One of the main ways that Bill is effective at operating this way is that he thinks more creatively about how to approach these conversations. He pushes his students and mentees to think innovatively about what is possible and leads by example. When Bill, as Department Chair, was looking to grow the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the University said there were not sufficient funds available, for instance, he reached out to external partners at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to establish the Partnership for Ecosystem Research and Management (PERM) program (refer to Carlson, this issue, for another take on this Taylorism).Bill works effectively with busy, capable, important people. He teaches his students to respect their colleagues and respect their time. Someone who is prepared can have a clear, effective conversation and leave a favorable impression in a fraction of the time of someone else who is unprepared, long-winded, and lingering. Bill approaches his meetings with this respect for the other participants be they leaders from universities, state, and federal governments. interjurisdictional agencies, and the private sector, or his students and other mentees. And he uses those opportunities wisely to elevate topics of priority. For example, with Bill strategically applying this approach, he built a coalition to implement the first Global Inland Fisheries Conference at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (refer to Bartley, this issue, for more on the Global Inland Fisheries Conference).Bill can effectively distill very complex topics into plain language and framing. While the end result may seem so simple, it is often much more difficult to develop than something too complex to be comprehensible. Bill is notorious for encouraging his students to develop word diagrams of their research to get to the essence of the concepts and help clearly communicate the research and implications. Thanks to Bill, for practically any professional project I do, I start with conceptual modeling because I know how much it helps frame the key points and relationships and processes. These word diagrams set the stage for readers of an article, partners in a project, or funders for a proposal, and they can really set these products apart from the rest!Bill recognizes that everything comes at a cost. He creates opportunities atypical for early career professionals (e.g., working with leaders, participating in international conferences, coauthoring with world-renowned experts) and encourages his students and mentees to make the most of them. While these opportunities are most definitely exciting, they can, sometimes, be distracting. Bill highlights that any choice has a cost, be it time, resources, or capacity. I know from personal experience that it can be a steep learning curve to know when you have reached your limit and appreciate how to balance and prioritize. Saying no to an opportunity is tough, but sometimes saying no may give you the time to finish up another project that leads to a bigger and better opportunity down the road.Bill loves his job. I'm not actually sure Bill has ever “worked” a day in his life because he is so passionate about what he does and enjoys it so much. Of all the lessons and skills that Bill has passed on to his students and mentees, I think this has been the most impactful one for me. How lucky are we that we get to enjoy the important work we do every day? Bill has instilled in me a professional outlook that guides me through my career and life. Because of Bill, I view each day and each challenge as an opportunity to have purpose and relish making progress in meeting my goals. I feel so fortunate to have learned this perspective from Bill.Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.