Ruthlessly Caring

CHAPTER 4AMBITIOUSLY APPRECIATIVE

Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren't grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more?

—Roy T. Bennett, author

What Is an ‘Ambitiously Appreciative’ Mindset?

Ambitiously appreciative leaders hold the following mindset:

• To achieve ambitious goals, they must be relentless and determined.
• It is important to set objectives that are aggressive.
• Performance and progress should be celebrated (not just attainment).
• They must appreciate the things outside work that matter, and make sure others have time to do the same.
• They must always value, make space for, and be aware of their own and other's well-being.

Elvin Semrad, a teacher in psychotherapy, once said: ‘You can achieve whatever you want, as long as you are willing to pay the price’. Do you want to be CEO or head of sales in Europe? Pay the price. As a child, do you want to win an Olympic medal or become prime minister? Pay the price. If you put the effort of every living moment into reaching that goal, your chances may not be negligible.

At least that is the mentality. And it is true: no great achievement will come for free. But how do you give yourself relentlessly to a goal or job, put in all the hard yards necessary to succeed, and yet avoid being consumed by the challenge?

Future-fit leaders have a mindset that is both ambitious and appreciative. They know that to achieve ambitious goals you have got to ...