Not smashing it? Think again.

Welcome to issue #015 of Under the Surface. Each week, I share one thoughtful piece to help you grow, lead and thrive in the messy reality of project work. If something lands - or misses - I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you’re exploring what’s next, you can join the Pathfinder waitlist to go deeper with others on the same journey.

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Apparently, everyone’s smashing it… At least, that’s how it looks online.

Your feed is full of polished success stories: people building personal brands, reflecting from retreats in Bali, celebrating the launch of a new app, or repackaging the mildest inconvenience as an “adversity” they overcame with grit and a £10k mastermind.

Meanwhile, you’re logging off, packing your kit, signing off permits, planning commissioning, or leading a cross-functional team through a high-stakes safety audit. And still thinking:

“Is this it? Shouldn’t I be doing more… or saying more… or being more?

That quiet doubt? It’s common. And it’s largely caused by an illusion.

The 1% Rule: What You See Isn’t What’s Real

According to LinkedIn data, only 1% of users actively post content. The other 99% are watching, reading, scrolling, thinking.

Some are learning. Some are judging. Many are simply feeling overwhelmed. This creates a warped perception. You see a small percentage of people shouting and assume their experience is the norm.

But remember: this isn’t a reflection of what professionals are doing. It’s a reflection of who is in the theatre… performing.

In his book Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson outlines how different behavioural styles react to stimulus. Those who dominate social platforms are often the “red” or “yellow” types - fast-paced, expressive, dominant. But many professionals in engineering, construction and technical project roles lean towards blue or green profiles - more cautious, detail-oriented, relationship-based.

So what happens when you put introverted, thoughtful professionals into an extroverted, performative platform?

They stay quiet. They observe. And they wonder whether they’re falling behind.

They’re not.

Doing > Showing

One of the hardest pills to swallow in today’s world is this:

This divide is growing. In sectors like software, digital marketing, and design - where the “product” can be polished into a brand - performance is part of the game.

But in engineering, energy, infrastructure and construction, the product is real. It’s physical. It has consequences. It can go wrong - very wrong - and the people leading those projects often don’t have the time, the headspace, or the desire to package it into a post.

They’re too busy actually doing the work.

• A construction manager overseeing hot works near live systems.

• A planner managing 9-month lead times on critical path equipment.

• A senior project engineer reviewing a complex set of site-specific RAMS before shift change.

• A designer resolving a structural interface risk that could compromise safety.

These moments don’t go viral.

But they matter.

Real Work. Real Risks.

The environments many of you operate in are governed by legislation like the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH). These are life-critical systems where poor decisions don’t just cost money, they can cost lives.

The Royal Academy of Engineering recently published a series of case studies highlighting good and bad practice across complex systems - including gas distribution, nuclear energy, and transport. These case studies reveal the sharp edge of real responsibility:

• One misstep, and 10’s of lives could be lost.

• One design oversight and a system fails five years from now.

• One delayed handover and an entire region’s energy supply is compromised.

Yet nobody’s posting a selfie when they avoid a hydrogen release.

Nobody’s celebrating the fact that they planned a sequence so safely, there were no accidents.

In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz writes:

This is what your work is made of…

Lots of lead bullets: Diligent checks. Red pen on a RAMS. One more conversation before sign-off.

Why Quiet Professionals Feel Like They’re Falling Behind

Let’s be honest: LinkedIn’s version of success is shiny.

But for professionals leading projects in high-pressure, safety-sensitive, resource-strained environments… it often doesn’t resonate.

You’re likely working in teams that are:

• Under-resourced, yet expected to deliver.

• Over-regulated, yet agile by necessity.

• Globally integrated, yet locally accountable.

• Technically complex, yet politically constrained.

When The Joy of Actually Giving a Fck* by Dr David Hamilton talks about meaningful work being intrinsically motivating, he’s describing you. You’re not doing it for ‘LinkedIn likes’. You’re doing it because it matters.

And still, you might find yourself thinking:

“Why does it feel like I’m not progressing?”

“Should I be building a brand?”

“What am I missing?”

You’re not missing anything.

You’re doing everything that matters.

The Cost of Being Overlooked

Here’s the flip side of performance culture: it can be disempowering.

Project professionals - especially junior and mid-level - may:

• Question their value, because they don’t see it reflected online.

• Struggle with impostor syndrome, especially when others have a podium.

• Miss out on opportunities, because they’re not visible.

• Internalise a false narrative that louder = better.

This is dangerous, not just for individuals, but for sectors already struggling with retention, burnout and skill shortages.

In High Performance by Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes, they note:

That’s your reality. That’s what needs celebrating.

What Authentic Leadership Really Looks Like

Leadership, in your world, isn’t about building a personal brand.

It’s about:

• Catching the design error that would’ve cost £400k.

• Mentoring the apprentice who’s terrified of piping isometrics.

• Escalating that procurement risk even when it’s uncomfortable.

• Staying late to make sure someone else gets home safe.

In Radical Candor, Kim Scott talks about “caring personally while challenging directly.” That’s the kind of leadership that thrives in EPC projects - not glossy, but grounded.

And in Rethinking Masculinity, Dan Stanley reminds us:

So Who Should You Follow?

In a space full of “thought leaders”, who should you trust?

Look for those who:

• Speak plainly.

• Share real problems.

• Don’t promise shortcuts.

• Have done the work, not just talked about it.

In Give and Take, Adam Grant talks about “givers”: people who contribute without expecting immediate gain. These are the people to find. Sometimes they post. Sometimes they don’t. But they exist and they lift others quietly.

You might be one of them.

Final Thought: Think Again

If you’re quietly grinding through project delivery and feeling unseen…

If you’ve ever looked at your feed and felt like you’re not “doing enough”…

If you’ve wondered whether you should be more visible…

Think again.

You’re not failing. You’re not falling behind. You’re not irrelevant.

You are:

✅ Leading people

✅ Solving problems

✅ Protecting lives

✅ Powering communities

✅ Building the future

That’s not just “smashing it.”

That’s real work.

And it’s time we said so.

If this resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Or hit reply and tell me about the last thing you delivered that nobody clapped for… but mattered anyway.

Yours,

Gerwyn

PS – What we’re building at Coron Projects

I’m building something for project professionals who want more than just tasks and titles. Pathfinder is a new kind of membership built for people in engineering and construction who are ready to grow, lead and thrive on their terms. No corporate bullshit. No gatekeepers. Just the tools, support and mindset shifts that help you take ownership of your career.

It’s currently in development and if that sounds like something you might want in your corner, you can join the waitlist here and include “Pathfinder” in the message.