Hargrove Leadership Institute

A Few Ambitious Thoughts

On Ambition

The Fall 2010 edition of Leadership Journal contains a cover story on ambition and its role in leadership. The title on the cover read:

Ambitions:

They keep you going, but they can go bad.

The above statement is correct. Leadership theorists fill both books and articles with reasons why good leadership is characterized by ambition. Time management guru Stephen Covey explains ambition is connected to what he refers to as the four basic human needs; live, love, learn, and leave a legacy. Dave Harvey writing in Leadership says that “without ambition nothing happens” (p. 21). He reinforces Covey’s idea about the need to leave a legacy as he states: “If you undermine ambition, you rob people of their desire and will to do something great with their lives” (p. 21). Ambition is not a bad thing. Ambition creates new technologies, new approaches to old problems, and beneficial ministries. As Harvey says without ambition nothing positive or worthwhile gets done.

The problem with ambition is that it has not only a light side; it also has a dark side. Ambition can destroy as well as build up. Ambition can eat at the heart and soul of the leader leaving him or her empty. A legacy may have been left but not the legacy they he or she may have intended. JR Kerr in the same Leadership issue wrote of the power of narcissism to derail positive ambition. Narcissism is driven by a pathological need to think well of oneself which results in an abnormal self absorption. Kerr would suggest that you know when you are slipping toward the dark side of ambition when you engage in self-aggrandizing behaviors whose goal is to show that you are as good or better leader than others in your sphere.

Kerr shared a story in his article that captures the tension created by the light and dark sides of ambition. He said he came home one day and found his wife researching the term narcissism on the computer. He wrote:

This isn’t a problem for me. Narcissism is the adulation of self, the diminishment of others, and often expressed as reckless ambition. Nothing could be more inconsistent with the character of Christ—the self-sacrificing servant who sought only to do the will of the Father. How can I be a pastor, a servant of Christ, and struggle with this (p. 30)?

Kerr and Harvey in their articles raise the question of balance in ambition. Ambition is common to all humans. Everyone is ambitious. Some may have found their ambition drained by negative statements that bombarded them in their formative years. Or, they have denied their ambitious for fear of failure and rejection. So if ambition is part and parcel to leadership just how do we keep from slipping over to the dark side? First, we want to remember that a Christian worldview perspective helps us understand ambition in a positive way. It begins with understanding the implications of Genesis 1:26. This passage that tells us we were created in the image of God, but it also suggests much more. It tells us that we have an essence that precedes our existence. God created us because of a desire (let us make), with a plan (make man), a pattern (in our image, in our likeness), and a purpose (so that they can rule or steward). A Christian worldview perspective recognizes that ambition is normal. God created us with a natural drive to thrive. Living in harmony with God and his creative purpose for us allows us to experience harmony with him which in turn allows us to experience a natural and normal harmony with ourselves. When we are living in harmony with God and ourselves we have a foundation for living in harmony with others. Living with these harmonies protects us from the dark side of ambition. Ambition that is rooted in the knowledge of and an understanding of the implications of being created in the image of God reminds us that God created us with a purpose. Living with a sense of purpose fuels ambition in a positive and healthy manner. The fact that we all have a drive to thrive is not the result of a sinful nature but is rooted in God’s sense of normal for us as human beings. God created us to thrive and out of that natural and normal drive to thrive ambition emerges.

A Christian worldview perspective also tells us about the dark side of ambition as well. Christian worldview is built on the scripture narrative of God, creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. God has created human beings as good and capable of accomplishing his purpose to steward his creation. However, scripture clearly teaches that human beings have been impacted by the fall and we wrestle with the ongoing results of that original fall in our lives. The fall brought about disharmony and introduced the dark side of conflict in our lives. The conflict ushers us into the dark side of ambition. The primary characteristic of the dark side of ambition is self-preservation. Adam and Eve demonstrated that by covering their nakedness with leaves, hiding when they heard God call and blaming behaviors when God confronts them. Their ambition was transformed from a normal means of thriving to an abnormal desire to survive.

What can we learn about ambition by thinking from a worldview perspective? First, it is not evil in and of itself. Ambition is a normal characteristic of our lives. God created us to thrive and ambition is the fuel which powers our drive to thrive. The fact is that we were created with an essence, a reason for being; which helps us understand why we seek to do well and feel good about what we accomplish. The second thing we learn is that ambition’s dark side is rooted in the disharmony created by the fall. Thriving is still possible despite our fallen condition. The fall does not mean we no longer possess the characteristics and drives that come from being created in the image of God. Rather, it helps us understand why surviving often trumps thriving. When we understand ambition in light of the scriptural narrative we have a means for developing strategies for living with the tension of the light and dark sides of ambition. This leads to a third thing we learn about ambition by thinking from a biblical worldview perspective. Balancing the need to survive with our desire to thrive is best accomplished when we see the importance of living in harmony with God as our first priority. When we seek to grow and thrive within that harmony afforded us by Christ’s redemption of our life and character then we have a secure place from which to manage our ambition. Our ambition is not rooted in our need to survive but it is a means for thriving as we live with a sense of purpose. Our purpose is rooted in the fact that we were created to be co-regents with God. God brought us into being because of his desire, with a plan and purpose that are congruent. The dark side of ambition is moderated by this understanding.

What needs to be done? Start by thinking reflectively about your understanding of the story of creation and how it informs you regarding leadership and ambition. Next, ponder the implications of the fall and the fact that you have been redeemed. Being redeemed means we can live normal lives in an abnormal world. Redemption means that we can understand the tensions we encounter and develop strategies that are consistent with God’s purpose and desire for our lives. Go ahead be ambitious. Go ahead and dream big dreams. Go ahead in the power of the purpose that God created you for and achieve big things!