I had a flash of clarity late last night when an Australian architect friend of mine who’s currently visiting Sydney after spending the best part of 10 years in London said to me, “It’s not Sydney that’s small, it’s the people”. Now he wasn’t trying to say that we all have a height deficit disorder, but what he was getting at is the way in which we Sydney folk treat each other. The settler mentality that helped build this grand nation of ours has lingered well beyond its welcome. We are now a rich nation full of beautiful women, jobs, sunshine, and cold beer, so why do we still act like a struggling and desperate group of hungry individuals fighting over one loaf of bread? Wake up! The bakery’s full and there’s enough bread to go around.
I’m not just talking about those cut-throat characters in big business either; this mentality has permeated into our everyday lives. As a 30 something living in Sydney I see it every day - friends undermining friends in business, people stealing each other’s girlfriends, jealousy at your best mate’s wedding. Everyone’s so desperate to get ahead and have their 15 minutes‚ they’ll do pretty much whatever it takes, including selling their grandma if need be. We don’t just compete with the Joneses in Sydney, we actively pull them down to our level. Forget 'Tall Poppy Syndrome', what we have here is a new more destructive strain that I’m calling the 'Small Poppy Syndrome'.
I’m not saying they have it all sorted out in London, they’re actually kinda screwed in many respects, but what I will say is that they love to collaborate. If you have a good idea in London you’ll find loads of like-minded people who want to help you get it off the ground. In Sydney on the other hand, you better have that puppy on a global patent before you even breathe a word about it.
There’s one thing I’ve learned over the years in marketing. Great ideas are born through collaboration. You know that whole - two heads are better than one‚ thing? Well, it couldn’t be truer than when it comes to having ideas, and here’s where it gets serious, folks. People in Sydney are too scared to share ideas or anything for that matter and it’s starting to have an effect on our national end product.
We’re holding on so tight it’s starting to strangle our creativity. Come on everybody, we have the potential to lead the world. - Jonathan
