Leading With Ambition

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  What are you after?

  Note: This article is an excerpt from the “Stocking Your Leadership Super-Powers” book. Enter your info in the sidebar and I’ll send you the e-book free of charge.

  High ambition is an intense desire to achieve what it is that you’re looking for in life.

  Some people have it, and some people don’t.

  Some leaders are loaded with passion, and a drive to achieve something. They are intense in their pursuit of their purpose and vision.

  Other people look at these leaders in awe because they wish they could have just 1/10 of the drive. Ambitious leaders inspire people to want more.

  Where does that ambition come from? Desire. Yearning for something better so much that it drives you to pursue it with everything you’ve got.

  Do you live in pleasantville!?

  I used to joke with Nellie, a friend of mine in college because she was so amazing at everything she did.

  She was a kick-butt writing consultant, and an even more kick-butt writer.

  I think she aced every paper she ever wrote, and she ended up winning the highest English award of the whole university… TWICE.

  She probably had to rent a medium-sized storage facility to hold all of her awards.

  No matter what the project was, she tackled it with 100% of her being, saying to herself that she desired to do an amazing job on everything.

  Everyone looked up to her because she was so ambitious. In one of his visits to campus, the President of the university noted in front of the student body that “Everyone wants to be a Nellie.”

  Who wouldn’t want to be driven to that much success?

  The flip side…

  Jim Rohn used to say “If you don’t want much, you won’t get much.” I can’t tell you how many students I encountered who cared nothing for their schooling. They just floated on by, hoping to pass, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t notice them sleeping, hoping they could make up the test after they studied for another week. These people weren’t the ones bringing success into their lives. They were “going with the flow” and they weren’t clear on what they wanted.

  Every leader has to want some kind of change, and then pursue that change relentlessly, or it’s not going to happen.

  Super Ambition Building Activity:

  Ask yourself: “What do I really want? What am I prepared to do to get it?”

  What really drives you? What makes you want to succeed more than anything?

  Is it:

  • Sex?

  • Fame?

  • Love?

  • Power?

  • Music?

  • Friendship?

  • Money?

  • Fear?

  • Achievement?

  • Tolerance?

  Leaders are clear on what they desire.

  They harness their desires and pursue their desires relentlessly.

  Reflect in writing on what you really want.

  Your Turn: What are you really after? Significance? Importance? Leaving an impact on the world? Supporting your family?