Abstract
Ambition is the driving motive that propels us to reach beyond what is considered possible. Ambition fuels creativity, design thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and is therefore a powerful leadership quality. Ambitious leaders are focused on performance because they continuously want to reach higher levels for themselves and their companies. Ambition, like so many other qualities, is multifaceted: it can be positive and negative in nature. When pushed too far, ambition can become a problem instead of an advantage. Consequently, it can lead to excessive workaholism, stress, health issues, and a toxic work environment due to intolerance, micromanagement, and excessive control, leading to dissatisfied coworkers. This chapter will discuss the importance of nurturing one’s ambition, but will also underline the reasons why ambition needs to be examined frequently to prevent it from becoming a liability.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Champy, J., & Nohria, N. (2000). Ambition: Root of achievement. Executive Excellence, 17(3), 5–6.
- 2.
Samuelson, R. J. (2007, October 22). The downside of ambition: breaking the rules to succeed. Fort Worth Business Press. p. 38.
- 3.
Ibid.
- 4.
Ibid.
- 5.
Ibid.
- 6.
Ibid.
References
Abraham Lincoln (n.d.).Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved October 17, 2015, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/abrahamlincoln
Andreassen, C. S., Ursin, H., Eriksen, H. R., & Pallesen, S. (2012). The relationship of narcissism with workaholism, work engagement, and professional position. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 40(6), 881–890.
Bandura, A. (1999). A social cognitive theory of personality. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 154–196). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Blumenthal, S. (2012). Lincoln plays to win. (cover story). Newsweek, 160(17), 32.
Brummelman, E., Thomaes, S., Slagt, M., Overbeek, G., de Castro, B. O., & Bushman, B. J. (2013). My child redeems my broken dreams: On parents transferring their unfulfilled ambitions onto their child. Plos One, 8(6), 1–4.
Champy, J., & Nohria, N. (2001). The arc of ambition: Defining the leadership journey (pp. 4–6). Cambridge, MA: Basic Books.
Dik, B. J., & Schaap, M. J. (2014). From Workaholism to Work-Life BALANCE: Change is within reach. Law Practice: The Business of Practicing Law, 40(6), 30–35.
Holstad, T. J., Korek, S., Rigotti, T., & Mohr, G. (2014). The relation between transformational leadership and follower emotional strain: The moderating role of professional ambition. Leadership, 10(3), 269–288.
Judge, T. A., & Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D. (2012). On the value of aiming high: The causes and consequences of ambition. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(4), 758–775.
Larimer, C., Hannagan, R., & Smith, K. (2007). Balancing ambition and gender among decision makers. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 614(1), 56–73.
Pelusi, N. (2008). The ups and downs of ambition. Psychology Today, 41(3), 67–68.
Porter, J. (2015). Fast track to the corner office. (Cover story). Men’s Health, 30(1), 101–105.
Pundt, A. (2014). A multiple pathway model linking charismatic leadership attempts and abusive supervision. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie, 222(4), 190–202.
Ready, D. A., & Truelove, E. (2011). The power of collective ambition. Harvard Business Review, 89(12), 94–102.
Sabates, R., Harris, A. L., & Staff, J. (2011). Ambition gone awry: The long-term socioeconomic consequences of misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence. Social Science Quarterly, 92(4), 959–977.
Samuelson, R. J. (2007, October 22). The downside of ambition: breaking the rules to succeed. Fort Worth Business Press. p. 38.
Seneca, L. A. (1806). Seneca’s morals, by way of abstract: To which is added a discourse, under the title of an after-thought (R. L’Estrange, Trans.). New York: Dover.
Sewell, W. H., Haller, A. O., & Portes, A. (1969). The educational and early occupational attainment process. American Sociological Review, 34, 82–92.
Stillman, J. (April 17, 2013). Is too much ambition making you miserable? INC. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/is-too-much-ambition-making-you-miserable.html
Waugh, J. C. (February 12, 2009). Abraham Lincoln, an everyman who saved a nation. US News. Retrieved October 17, 2015 from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2009/02/12/abraham-lincoln-an-everyman-who-saved-a-nation
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Marques, J. (2017). Leadership and Ambition. In: Marques, J., Dhiman, S. (eds) Leadership Today. Springer Texts in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31036-7_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31036-7_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31034-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31036-7
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)