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A peek at Ambition’s ugly underbelly
A new year speaks to ambition as much as any other human trait.
People think of ambition as a positive thing, especially in America, the home of the brave, the land of the free, and the melting pot of the ambitious. Ambition brought our forebears here, and they passed it on to us in their words and deeds, their songs and stories, and in red, white, and blue.
Ambition, however, has not historically been universally hailed as a positive trait.
I looked in The Oxford English Dictionary (the gold standard of English dictionaries) for definitions and uses of the word ambition and found interesting nuggets.
The ardent desire to rise to high position, or to attain rank, influence, distinction, or other preferment.
Note that the “ardent” – someone on fire, enthusiastic, exuberant – is not meant to be flattering.
Ostentation, display of the outward tokens of position, as riches, dress; vainglory, and pompous.
Note: Just for clarification and context, we usually use the word “ass” with the adjective “pompous.”
A strong or ardent desire of anything considered advantageous, honoring, or creditable.
Me. Me. Meeeee!!!
Canvassing, personal solicitation of honors.
I knew a man who manufactured honors that he would be deemed worthy to own so they could be bestowed upon him. He made up medals to wear and manufactured stories about medals he claimed to own. He craved nothing more than honor, notoriety, and respect. He craved it so much that he lost all of that and more.
I was once that man myself. I was young and ambitious. I sought honor before I did the honorable. I sought notoriety before I did something of note. Notoriety became notorious instead. It cost me. Time. Pain. Loss. And money.
Ambition is nothing more than a fervent desire. And by fervent, I mean compelling. By fervent, I mean consuming.
One of my favorite writing tools is a book by J.I. Rodale called The Word Finder. It does not define words but highlights common uses of a word by listing adjectives, adverbs, and/or verbs commonly used in conjunction with that word. I looked up ambition. Here’s some of what I found:
Adjectives: forceful, unbounded, misplaced, personal, warring, criminal, reasonable, social, ancestral, instructed, worthy, unquenchable, industrial, average, cherished, worldly, vain, unprincipled, insane, intense, unbridled, fierce, humble, honorable, boastful, indiscreet, petty, visionary…and more…
Verbs: achieve, attain, badger, breed, characterize, cherish, chill, choke with, commend, control, credit, exaggerate, fire with, frustrate, gratify, honor, humor, infect with, master, nurse, placate, relinquish, restrain, satisfy, stimulate, subordinate, temper, thwart…and more…
You can see how rarely ambition is used in a commendable sense, whether you are referencing Oxford or Rodale. While there is an honorable type of ambition it frequently becomes something darker, more sinister, less healthy, and hardly admirable.
Unduly ambitious people tend towards
Self-absorption
Self-promotion
Self-interest
Selfish.
The Demon named Ambition
I am reading The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. It is an account of the troubled years leading to America’s Civil War from various perspectives. James Hammond is an important character in the story, a man who became a plantation and slave owner via marriage, and a leading proponent and defender of slavery. He served in the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as governor of South Carolina. He delivered the first-ever speech on the Senate floor that out-and-out defended slavery as an honorable institution.
Larson repeatedly referred to Hammond’s ambition as the driving force in his life and career. He yearned to be seen, heard, and respected.
In one passage, Larson wrote that Hammond “bled ambition from every pore.”
Hammond was a capable man and a good communicator. In a speech delivered on the Senate floor a few years before the Civil War, he left us with the phrase, “Cotton is king.”
Hammond was on the wrong side of humanity and history. He treated others as merchandise and pawns in his Game of Thrones.
In a review of the biography James Henry Hammond and the Old South, a reviewer for the LSU Press wrote:
James Henry Hammond’s ambition was unquenchable. It consumed his life, directed almost his every move and ultimately, in its titanic calculation and rigidity, destroyed the man confined within it. Like Faulkner’s Thomas Sutpen, Faust suggests, Hammond had a “design,” a compulsion to direct every moment of his life toward self-aggrandizement and legitimation.
Do you see it?
We often lament that the worst people run for political office and that we cast votes for “the lesser of two evils.”
Then there is the cringy televangelist or the megachurch pastor selling God like a Ponzi scheme, a get-rich-because-God-wants-you-rich theology, flashing pearly teeth and golden rings, layering on makeup several coats thick, wearing furs, and crisscrossing the country for Jesus in Lear jets.
Politicians have replaced statesmen and ministers. They fill government seats and pulpits, ambitious men and women serving themselves, building their “legacies” on the backs of – and at the expense of – those they feign to serve.
You see them in business, too. LinkedIn is teeming with the saber-rattling and clamoring of the ambitious, eager to be hailed and held in high regard, scheming to be lords of their fiefdom. They use people to build their wealth and extend their influence.
Precious few use their wealth and influence to build people.
People excessively concerned about their “legacy” typically get the legacy they deserve, not the one they want.
I do not claim all ambition is bad. Healthy ambition, or the desire to achieve a high goal, conquer a shortcoming, commit to a worthy cause, or establish a legacy for one’s children and dependents is honorable.
“How do I ensure my ambition is healthy and honorable?”
I have ten suggestions.
Value accomplishment over accolades. Years ago, I heard and have sometimes repeated the adage, “Doing a good job around here is like peeing your pants in a dark suit. It gives you a warm feeling, but nobody notices.” First, don’t do it to be noticed; do it to be true to yourself and your calling. Second, if you are responsible for a team, give credit where it is due.
Value the journey over the destination. Honestly, most destinations leave you wanting…wanting more, wanting something else, wanting it again. Life is the journey. The milestones along the way may end up mattering more than the arrival.
Give without strings or expectations of acknowledgment. Giving to get is not giving at all; it is a disingenuous means to a selfish end.
Add value to personal relationships and resist the common wisdom of looking for people who constantly build you up. Get back what you put in and it will mean more.
Value persistence over positions and performance over plaudits. Fill your space and let the trophy case take care of itself.
People are not trophies.
Positions are not permanent.
Possessions are not your actual “worth.”
Balance KPIs with “keepers.” If Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill had been prematurely evaluated on KPIs alone, their names would have rotted in history. You can say the same with Jimmy Carter…and every entrepreneur in history.
Take selflessness for a spin. Do something purely for another without expectation of anything in return, not even their appreciation. (This is actually me repeating #3 in case you missed it. It bore repeating.)
I leave you with the wisdom of two wise men:
“A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.” – Marcus Aurelius.
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
