Looking Successful

On the way home from a meeting in London I found myself doing something I've probably done hundreds of times before without really thinking about it.

I was making assumptions about people. The bloke in the expensive suit was obviously successful. The woman walking quickly whilst juggling two phones was clearly important. The couple having lunch outside a smart restaurant must be doing well. The young guy carrying a rucksack and a laptop was probably building the next big thing.

The funny thing is that I knew absolutely nothing about any of them.

For all I know, the man in the suit could have been worrying about making payroll at the end of the month. The woman with the phones might have been having the worst week of her career. The couple could have been discussing a business that was struggling. The young entrepreneur might have been on his way to an interview after months of trying to get something off the ground.

Yet from a distance we tell ourselves stories. Business is particularly good at this. We compare ourselves against what we can see and quietly fill in the blanks with whatever narrative suits us. We assume other businesses are growing faster, making more money, attracting better people or somehow finding it easier. Most of the time we are comparing our reality with somebody else's highlights.

One of the things I enjoy most about the work we do is that it gives us a glimpse behind the curtain. Businesses that look effortless from the outside often have exactly the same worries, frustrations and uncertainties as everybody else. They just hide them well.

That's probably why I like cities. For all the confidence, ambition and success on display, every building contains people trying to solve problems, make decisions and figure out what comes next.

Just like the rest of us.

The scenery changes.

Human nature doesn't.