Good And Bad Ambition
Ambition is an important trait for any leader to have. Without ambition, it is all but impossible to guide an organization to success. What are the chances of a coach (of a professional sports team) leading that team to the championship if the coach himself does not have the ambition to win the championship? Ambition can be a driving force that helps individuals fight through daily obstacles in order to meet their goals. In general, ambition is a good thing to have.
Ambition can also be a flaw that severely damages an organization. If the leader of the organization has a selfish ambition, one that is about he or she alone achieving success, then it can be harmful. Some might call it a sin.
Leaders with a selfish ambition will do whatever it takes for them as individuals to be successful. They will bend rules, manipulate data and burn bridges. Because this type of ambition has little regard for the organization as a whole, employees and co-workers are viewed as pawns to be used by the leader as a means to reach his (or her) personal and selfish goal.
A leader with a selfish ambition typically surrounds themselves with yes men who tell the leader what he or she wants to hear. Even when someone does tell this leader the truth, the leader only hears the part of the statement that reaffirms their belief, and they ignore the parts that don’t.
Macbeth, the Story of Selfish Ambition
A great example of this sinful type of ambition is Shakespeare’s story of Macbeth . Macbeth is an up and coming leader in Scotland. He is a kinsman to the king and holds the title Thane of Glamis . After Macbeth defeats the forces of Norway and Ireland in battle, he is praised by his peers for his bravery and fighting prowess.
On the journey home, Macbeth is met by three Witches, who greet him with prophecies. The first witch hails Macbeth “Thane of Glamis”, his current position. The second greets him as the “Thane of Cawdor” which is a higher position. And the third proclaims that he shall “be King hereafter”.
Not long after receiving the prophecies from the witches, a messenger from the King arrives and informs Macbeth that he has been promoted and that his new title is “Thane of Cawdor,” the title by which he was greeted by the second witch. Macbeth interprets this to mean that the first prophecy is fulfilled, and he immediately begins to harbour ambitions of becoming king.
Macbeth writes to his wife about the witches’ prophecies and she hatches a plan to murder the king and secure the throne for her husband. Although Macbeth raises concerns about the regicide, his wife eventually persuades him to follow her plan and on the night of the king’s visit, Macbeth murders the king. Macbeth and his wife then frame the king’s servants for the murder and before they can protest their innocence, Macbeth kills them also.
Macbeth ultimately assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland , but despite his success he remains uneasy. Macbeth has one potential competitor for his position killed, however he continues to be disturbed. Macbeth decides to visit the witches again in order to get new prophesies. The witches conjure up three spirits who give warnings and prophecies that cause Macbeth to fear the kin of one of his colleagues. He acts on this fear and has the entire family killed.
Macbeth is now viewed as a tyrant. His kingdom is in disarray and many of his leadership team defect and join a movement to remove Macbeth from the throne. Marginalized and alone, Macbeth is ultimately killed by those whom he abused in order to achieve his selfish ambition.
Macbeth in Today’s Workforce
Macbeth may well be the perfect metaphor for what happens when leaders of today’s organizations have selfish ambition. Macbeth had a vision and ambition for himself, but not one for the kingdom of Scotland. This narrow and selfish ambition manifested itself in behavior that benefitted Macbeth, but harmed the organization. (This is analogous to a star player on a sports team not caring if the team wins as long as he can score the most points.)
Although the witches told Macbeth the truth, he chose to only hear the prophecies that were aligned with his ambitions. How often do leaders not listen to all of the facts because some of them contradict a decision that he or she has already made?
In today’s work force you typically don’t hear about someone killing the boss so that they can take his or her job. It is not uncommon however to find a subordinate figuratively assassinating their bosses with slander and innuendoes because they feel that they should have the job. It is not uncommon for individuals to undercut their colleagues so that they themselves look better and are better positioned for a promotion.
And how uncommon is it for a leader of an organization to only listen to the part of a report that confirms his or her own perspective?
Summary
There is no question that to be a leader one must have ambition. Great leaders are vigilant in understanding that this ambition must be applied for the good of the organization. Failure to do so ultimately results in an erosion of the leader’s credibility. This necessity is especially evident in learning organizations where the persona of the leader is projected not just to the employees of the learning team but to the entire ecosystem that the team supports.
