Where Are You on the Map?

Welcome to issue #009 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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A few weeks ago, I picked up The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti.

It’s the story of two boys who grow up together in the Italian Alps - Pietro, who leaves to see the world, and Bruno, who stays rooted in the same valley.

Midway through, one of the characters tells a story that explains the book’s title. In the middle of the world, they say, stands Mount Sumeru. Around it lie eight seas, and beyond them, eight more mountains. If you cross all those seas and climb all those mountains, will you know more than the one who stays at Sumeru?

It stopped me because it’s not really a question about geography. It’s about how we live our lives. Some people choose Sumeru - staying in one place, building mastery through depth, knowing every shift in the seasons. Others set out - crossing seas, climbing different peaks, following the winding paths between them.

I’ve spent much of my career on the move. Not in a restless way, but out of a desire to see what lay beyond the ridge in front of me. New roles. New sectors. New ways of working. And with every crossing, I noticed the path in between is where you really learn. Peaks are moments of arrival. The paths, with their wrong turns, their unexpected conversations, their moments of doubt, are where you gather the insight that sticks.

This isn’t just a romantic idea from a novel. David Epstein, in Range, puts it plainly:

It’s a strength I see in people who have worked in different places, taken on different challenges, and aren’t afraid to move between worlds. They’re the ones who can stand on a new mountain and recognise a familiar pattern from somewhere else… and then adapt it to fit.

I often picture the business owners I’ve met over the years as mountain dwellers at the summit of their own Sumeru. They know their terrain intimately. They’ve built something lasting, and from their vantage point, they can see for miles. But every mountain has blind spots. Beyond the horizon are other peaks, other valleys, other weather systems entirely.

Those who’ve travelled, who’ve crossed the seas and walked the unmarked paths, can bring back what the mountain dwellers cannot see for themselves. They carry not only knowledge of other summits but the lessons learned in the spaces between: the awkward negotiations, the cultural surprises, the challenges that forced them to think differently.

Of course, the exchange works both ways. A specialist who has lived and breathed one mountain brings depth that the traveller can’t replicate. The mountain dweller understands subtleties invisible to a newcomer, holds history that explains the present and anchors a team when conditions get rough.

It’s why I think the real wisdom in the Mount Sumeru riddle isn’t about deciding which life is better - the one who stays or the one who roams. It’s about recognising the value in both and what happens when they meet. Specialists bring depth; generalists bring breadth. Together, they can navigate more than either could alone.

So, where are you on the map right now?

Are you high on your own mountain, learning it season by season?

Are you somewhere on a crossing, heading towards a new peak?

Or are you moving between the two, carrying the stories and the lessons from one to the other?

Wherever you are, make it a choice. Because the most valuable map isn’t the one someone else gives you, it’s the one you draw yourself, slowly, as you find your way.

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.