The word ambition simply means for one to have a desire to do or complete something. However, its meaning has deviated from its origin and now resonates with others as a word to describe those that are more interested in furthering their own objectives than those of the group. In class, we immersed deeply into the idea of the relationship a leader should have with their own inner ambitions. Some leaders choose to be vocal about their desires – which I believe to be innate to humans. Humans feed off of social interactions and share their thoughts. However, I believe a leader needs to keep their ambitions to themselves if they hope to truly achieve them.
I believe ambition to be crucial to a leader and their success. Ambition is essentially a leader’s own vision for how they see themselves contributing in the future. Vision is one of the few traits that almost every great leader will have. As President Barron put it, when driving you need to look at the road ahead, not just the cars that you are passing on each side of the street. However, if this vision of one’s future desires are not kept to one’s self, the leader may lose effectiveness with his or her team – therefore crippling their own future. Many politicians have minimized their impact on the country as a whole because of their own obvious self-desire for the Oval Office.
Even Abraham Lincoln – a president that almost everyone can admire – was a man of high ambitions. In 1832, he lost his job and was defeated for state legislature. In 1838, he was defeated for Illinois House Speaker. In 1843, he was defeated for nomination for United States Congress. In 1848, he lost renomination. In 1854, he was defeated for U.S. Senate. In 1856, he was defeated for nomination for Vice President. In 1858, he was again defeated for U.S. Senate. Miraculously, in 1860, he was elected President of the United States1. In a life that was riddled with defeat, especially under public scrutiny, he must have been internally ambitious and secretly aggressive to lead if he persevered through all of that. If Abraham Lincoln were not ambitious, where would the world be right now? I, nor can anyone, specifically answer that question, but I think we could all agree the world would be much worse off.
Every leader, whether they will admit it or not, is quietly ambitious. It is a truth that all know, but most ignore. But ambition is necessary for a great leader. Good leaders can look at the cars as they pass them and can have lessor of a vision. But for a leader to be great, they need to have a vision for others, as well as themselves. From Abe Lincoln, to Rosa Parks, to any influential person this world has seen or ever will see, their ambitions got them to a point of making a difference and leading others while doing so.
Thomas,
Great points around ambition and how the expression of it can impact one’s ability to lead. When I read this, I found it interesting to see how you touched on almost exclusively political leaders. While it is true that some of our most remembered leaders are the ones who lead nations into or out of wars, peace, depression and prosperity, one could argue that other types of leaders also have ambition. Was Thomas Edison a great leader for organizing the support and funding for his Menlo Park lab and eventual breakthrough with the lightbulb? Or an overly ambitious one for the way he crushed support for his competitor Tesla’s idea? Is the leader of a student org on campus ambitious to grow the club or only the lines on their own resume? At any rate, you hit the nail on the head with saying that all leaders are “quietly ambitious”. In my opinion, it’s in the nuance of how leaders express and articulate that ambition that end up distinguishing the agreeable leaders from the untenable ones.