The Myth of the Straight Line

When I was twelve, I was apprenticed at my father's winery. By fifteen, I had been expelled from one of the most prestigious schools in Britain—my parents were not pleased! No one handed me a career ladder. I had to build a frame from whatever was lying around.

That turned out to be lucky. Because the ladder does not work. It never did.

We were sold a story. Pick a direction at eighteen. Climb. Do not look down. Do not look sideways. At sixty-five, retire to a view you did not choose, in a body you did not maintain, with a family that learned to need you less. The straight line was meant to feel like discipline. What it actually delivers, for most people, is a slow disappearance.

I have spent the last decade recording in-depth conversations with people who have reached the top of their fields. Five hundred of them. Stanley Tucci, actor, producer, and director. Lewis Moody MBE, the former England Rugby captain. International business leader responsible for tens of billions in commerce—my mentor, Steven J. Manning. Nicolas Babin, EU Digital Ambassador and former head of AI and robotics for Sony Europe. Michael Tobin CBE, former FTSE 250 CEO turned Entrepreneur.

Athletes, business leaders, doctors, and broadcasters. Different industries, different temperaments, different decades. Not one of them climbed a straight line, and they all love the feeling of achievement.