Managing Ambition

The Paradox of Ambition

If you’re a manager, you’re probably ambitious. You want to be right, achieve great things, and be rewarded and recognized for what you’ve done. That’s good. Without ambition, it’s unlikely that you would have taken on management responsibilities, which most leaders acknowledge as very challenging. Furthermore, ambition can drive success—for you and for your organization.

But CCL research shows that leaders who don’t handle their ambition properly can damage their careers and undercut their efforts to advance their organizations. That is the paradox of ambition: While it is a necessary factor in business success, too much ...