Ambition is among the most defining forces in human affairs—a psychological engine that propels people past the realm of survival into the sector of creation, disruption, and transformation, and significantly predicts academic attainment, profession success, job efficiency, and revenue.
At its core, ambition is the refusal to simply accept the established order, the interior stress to stretch private limits and societal boundaries. In a approach, one of the best ways to know ambition is because the inability to be satisfied with one’s accomplishments. Ambition fuels leadership by pushing people to take accountability, think about alternate options, and mobilize others towards a imaginative and prescient. Ambition underwrites entrepreneurship because the catalyst for risk-taking, persistence, and the cussed perception that a greater approach just isn’t solely attainable however essential. With out ambition, innovation stalls; with it, individuals problem orthodoxy, break conventions, and resolve issues that others resign to destiny. Throughout disciplines, from science to artwork to politics, historical past’s breakthroughs are seldom the product of complacency—they’re the residue of stressed, bold minds.
The world, to a big extent, is the output of ambitious people. It’s formed by those that couldn’t sit nonetheless, who weren’t content material with inherited limitations, and who felt compelled to behave on their concepts, regardless of how unlikely or unpopular. From the primary managed hearth to the most recent generative AI models, progress has by no means been evenly distributed—it has been pushed by people and teams with an outsized urge for food to go away a mark. Ambition transforms dissatisfaction into momentum, and creativeness into infrastructure. It explains not simply who rises to guide or invent, however why civilizations increase, applied sciences leap ahead, and cultures evolve. Whereas it should be tempered by ethics and collective concern, ambition stays an irreplaceable power within the story of human progress.
Every thing sparsely
And but, like all powerful traits, ambition is finest expressed in moderation. Too little, and people drift—untethered from goal, passive within the face of alternative. An excessive amount of, and ambition can metastasize into obsession, crowding out humility, collaboration, and even ethical judgment. When ambition turns into unbounded, it stops serving the person and begins demanding sacrifice—of relationships, values, and long-term well-being. It could distort self-perception, encouraging individuals to see themselves not as contributors to a shared trigger, however as lone heroes in a zero-sum contest. Groups endure when ambition eclipses empathy: the pursuit of private achievement begins to undermine belief, cooperation, and psychological security. A aggressive drive that ignores others’ wants doesn’t simply alienate colleagues—it weakens the very basis of high-functioning organizations.
Unchecked ambition usually bleeds into greed, an insatiable starvation not simply to succeed, however to dominate. As Gordon Gekko infamously mentioned, “Greed is good”—a provocative mantra for the high-octane world of finance, however a harmful philosophy when utilized indiscriminately. Greed erodes the social contract. It justifies exploitation, tolerates unethical shortcuts, and treats individuals as a way to an finish. In management, this can lead to poisonous cultures, short-term considering, and spectacular failures. Corporations pushed solely by ambition with out constraint could develop quick, however they usually implode quicker—toppling underneath the load of hubris, burnout, and scandal.
The WeWork Case
Adam Neumann, cofounder and former CEO of WeWork, is a textbook example of how unbridled ambition can result in spectacular collapse. Neumann began with a compelling imaginative and prescient: to “elevate the world’s consciousness” via a coworking area firm that promised to redefine the way in which individuals reside and work. His charisma and relentless ambition helped WeWork develop at breakneck velocity, attracting billions in enterprise capital and inflating its valuation to almost $47 billion at its peak. However Neumann’s ambition shortly outpaced operational actuality. He expanded into housing (WeLive), training (WeGrow), and different ventures with little strategic coherence. Studies surfaced of erratic habits, conflicts of curiosity, and a company tradition pushed extra by Neumann’s private mythos than sound governance.
In 2019, when WeWork tried to go public, its monetary inconsistencies and Neumann’s questionable management fashion got here underneath scrutiny. The IPO failed, Neumann was pressured to resign, and the corporate’s valuation plummeted. His ambition wasn’t the issue in itself—it was that it turned delusional, indifferent from execution, and finally corrosive to the corporate’s sustainability. Neumann exemplifies how visionary drive, with out self-discipline or humility, can develop into a legal responsibility slightly than an asset.
Briefly, the healthiest ambition is grounded in goal, tempered by self-awareness, and balanced by a dedication to collective success. It lifts everybody, not simply the one climbing the quickest.
So, whereas it’s typically higher to have than to lack ambition, listed here are three confirmed methods during which an extra of drive or motivation can hurt your profession and negatively impression others.
1. Ambition can inhibit individuals’s prosocial drive
When the need to “get forward” outweighs the intuition to “get alongside,” ambition can corrode social cohesion. In workforce environments, overly bold people could hoard credit score, prioritize visibility over contribution, and deal with colleagues as opponents slightly than collaborators. This undermines belief and psychological security—two bedrocks of efficient teamwork. For instance, a rising govt who always angles for the highlight could alienate friends and demoralize subordinates, even when their particular person output is spectacular. Over time, the price of such interpersonal friction outweighs the advantages of uncooked efficiency. In the long term, organizations thrive not on lone stars however on networks of mutual respect and cooperation—each of which ambition can quietly erode if left unchecked.
2. Ambition can amplify delinquent traits like narcissism, aggression, and entitlement
Whereas a wholesome dose of drive can encourage individuals to goal excessive, extreme ambition can inflate the ego and warp ethical reasoning. Narcissistic leaders, as an illustration, usually start their ascent with spectacular confidence and imaginative and prescient—however as their ambition grows, so does their sense of superiority and disrespect for others. This could result in poisonous behaviors like manipulation, bullying, or a refusal to simply accept criticism. Take the case of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos: her ambition to revolutionize healthcare was laudable, however her unwillingness to confess failure or settle for limits led to deception and collapse. When ambition aligns with delinquent traits, it stops being a advantage and turns into a legal responsibility—each for the person and the system they’re a part of.
3. Ambition can hurt private relationships, wellbeing, and life exterior work
Ambition usually calls for trade-offs, however when these trade-offs become sacrifices, the results may be extreme. Folks pushed by intense skilled targets could neglect household, mates, and self-care—believing that success justifies the prices.
This mindset is very frequent in high-stakes environments like consulting, finance, or tech startups, the place lengthy hours and relentless competitors are normalized. Over time, the neglect accumulates: relationships fray, well being deteriorates, and a creeping sense of vacancy can set in—even after main achievements. A associate who misses birthdays for enterprise journeys or skips holidays for product launches could ultimately discover the nook workplace far lonelier than anticipated. True success requires integration, not imbalance—one thing ambition doesn’t all the time encourage.
Analysis constantly exhibits that reasonable ranges of ambition—versus extraordinarily excessive or low ranges—are most helpful for long-term well-being, work-life stability, and sustainable profession success. Within the well-known phrases of Seneca, “It’s not the person who has too little, however the man who craves extra, that’s poor.”
A extra sustainable technique
Certainly, individuals with a wholesome dose of ambition are likely to have clear targets, a way of goal, and sufficient drive to remain engaged and motivated. However not like the hyper-ambitious, they’re much less prone to sacrifice private relationships, sleep, or psychological well being in pursuit of fixed development. They’re additionally extra prone to worth stability, apply self-care, and outline success in broader phrases than simply titles or paychecks. This makes them not solely happier people however usually higher colleagues and leaders.
Reasonably bold people are additionally extra prone to keep grounded in actuality. They are often bold with out being delusional, motivated with out being obsessive, and assured with out being overbearing. Because of this, they have a tendency to make higher long-term choices—for themselves and others. Reasonably than chasing each alternative or competing with everybody round them, they give attention to significant progress, each professionally and personally. In a world that usually glamorizes excessive ambition, it’s price remembering that the nice life is never lived on the sting of burnout—and that typically, aiming for sufficient is the neatest and most sustainable technique of all.
It’s also clear that de-emphasizing ambition—or the significance we give to it—might assist in many areas of life, together with enterprise. For instance:
1. We are likely to overrate ambition, particularly when deciding on leaders
In lots of organizations, management potential is judged via the lens of visibility, assertiveness, and a starvation for development—basic alerts of ambition. We hardly ever pause to ask whether or not that ambition serves the group, or merely the person. Because of this, we frequently confuse confidence for competence, and ambition for capability. Analysis constantly exhibits that traits like humility, integrity, and emotional intelligence are extra predictive of efficient management than uncooked drive or self-promotion. But job interviews and promotion processes nonetheless reward those that “lean in,” converse up, and outperform friends—usually deciding on the loudest slightly than the wisest. This opens the door to narcissistic leaders who crave energy for its personal sake. As Plato warned, “an individual who needs to manipulate shouldn’t.”
2. Ambition is regularly mistaken for expertise, even in roles that demand competence over charisma
Consider professions the place precision, reliability, and experience are paramount—pilots, surgeons, monetary advisers. In these roles, would you slightly entrust your life or cash to somebody extremely bold, or somebody quietly wonderful? In actuality, you usually can’t have each. Essentially the most bold professionals could focus extra on private brand-building and profession climbing than on mastering their craft. But our hiring and analysis methods are likely to reward the bold candidate: the assured speaker, the spectacular résumé, the individual with a five-year plan to achieve the highest. This obsession with upward momentum blinds us to quiet competence. Satirically, lots of the finest performers usually are not these obsessive about “being somebody,” however with doing one thing effectively.
3. Lastly, ambition is commonly directed on the unsuitable targets—people who serve ego greater than others
Many excessive achievers usually are not pushed to make issues higher, however to be seen as higher than others. Their targets are status-enhancing, not impact-driven: extra energy, extra wealth, extra recognition. This sort of ambition justifies any means—slicing corners, sidelining colleagues, or exploiting loopholes—as long as the end result advances their picture.
On this mild, ambition turns into much less a power for progress and extra a zero-sum race for supremacy. Organizations and societies pay the value: innovation stalls when vitality is spent on inner jockeying, groups fracture underneath self-serving management, and belief erodes. True ambition needs to be oriented towards contribution, not domination. However too usually, we reward the latter and surprise why so many leaders fail to raise anybody however themselves.
When Sufficient is Sufficient
Ambition is a strong instrument, however like every instrument, it could possibly develop into harmful when misused or overvalued. In a world that equates relentless drive with advantage, we danger selling the unsuitable individuals, constructing the unsuitable cultures, and pursuing the unsuitable targets. We overlook that ambition just isn’t inherently noble—it merely magnifies what already exists. In the appropriate fingers, it catalyzes innovation, service, and progress. Within the unsuitable ones, it fuels ego, exploitation, and eventual collapse.
The problem, then, is to not reject ambition, however to recalibrate our relationship with it: to cease treating it as an finish in itself, and begin seeing it as a way to one thing larger. This requires a collective shift in how we outline success—not as the flexibility to outshine others, however because the capability to uplift them. We have to cease conflating ambition with management potential, charisma with competence, and visibility with worth. It’s time to reward the quietly wonderful, the others-focused, and the impact-driven. The longer term won’t belong to those that climb the quickest, however to those that climb with goal—and produce others with them. As my colleague and pal Amy Edmondson and I have argued, ambition could drive historical past, however solely knowledge, humility, and integrity make sure that it drives us someplace price going.
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