The Pros and Cons of Being Ambitious

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Hi and welcome back to Reflect Forward.

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host, Kerry Siggins, and I hope you're having a great day today.

[00:00:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Today, I want to talk about the pros and the cons of being ambitious.

[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_00]: A long time ago, I was talking to a fellow board member of an industry board that I'm

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: on, and we were having a conversation about how to drive the industry forward.

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And we were at odds.

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I had this big vision for what we could do as an association, and he just wanted

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: to keep going down the path that we were going, playing it safe.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm a risk taker and I don't like playing it safe, and I love disruption, and I love

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: thinking big.

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I love 10xing myself.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I was really pushing him, and he was pushing back.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And he said to me, you know, you are so ambitious.

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: You are such an achiever.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes that's a really negative thing.

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And that comment made me pause.

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I had to giggle at it.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: I had to also look at myself and understand was I pushing too hard.

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And I also had to just put it aside because a lot of times that's a way for people to shut

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_00]: down big thinkers, for people who are really trying to drive changes.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, you're overly ambitious or you're an overachiever, as if those things are negative.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And they can be negative if they're not carefully balanced.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: All my life I've been really ambitious.

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I've always really pushed to do big things.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I've also had to make trade-offs in my life because of it.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And I was out to dinner with a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, who is also an entrepreneur.

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And he and I were talking about the pros and cons of being ambitious.

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: He too has built a big company and done all these amazing things and is at the stage

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: in his life where he wants to focus that on something different but still has these

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: really big ambitions.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And we were talking about the trade-offs that you have to make with your time and

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: your relationships and the other things that you have to choose not to do in your life

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: when you're going after your goals.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's what I wanted to talk about today because ambition is really important.

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: It is what drives us forward.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: It's what helps companies do big things.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00]: It's how new innovation breaks through.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: But it also can lead down a dark path, which I know all about because ambition

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: was part of the reason why I spiraled in my 20s and led to some of my substance

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_00]: abuse issues, not in its entirety, just ambition.

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_00]: There were other things mixed in, but I was very, very driven to succeed.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_00]: And my ambitious made me do things that weren't online with my values,

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_00]: especially when I was in such an unhealthy place.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: So I thought it would be fun to discuss this in this week's episode of Reflect Forward.

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: So let's talk about the pros of being ambitious.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So I have found that being ambitious helps you achieve your goals

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00]: and it helps you achieve success.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: So ambitious leaders are more likely to set and achieve challenging goals.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I know this to be true.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: I have set many challenging goals for myself in my life

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_00]: and I have big ones that I'm moving towards.

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And it really helps me stay focused and highly productive.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So one of my goals was to write a book.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I did that.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: It was one of the most challenging things that I've ever done.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And it has brought so much joy and such a sense of reward for doing that

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_00]: hard work and I would never have done it if I wouldn't have set that ambitious

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_00]: goal of writing a book.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Lots of people talk about it, but lots of people don't do it.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I also have another goal that we're working on as an organization

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: to create a thousand millionaires through employee ownership.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: This is a really big goal.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00]: The only way to do that is to build value in the company.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: And the only way to do that is to create real incredible value

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: for your customers and your employees.

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's face it.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: If nobody wants to buy your product or services and no one wants to work

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: for you, you're not going to achieve your goals.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So an ambitious goal like a thousand millionaires, that's going to require us

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_00]: to build the company sustainably over time, always adding more and more value

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: to our customers so that they are loyal to us and that they want to keep

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: partnering with us to solve really challenging problems.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Having a big goal like that keeps us really focused on what we need to do

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: well to bring the most value to our customers so we can build the

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00]: most value in our company.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_00]: So those are some examples of really challenging goals.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And ambition is really important in driving your career.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: According to a survey by a career builder, 58% of employers say that

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: ambition is a key factor in making promotion decisions.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you are a leader within your company or you want to be a leader

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: within your company, ambition matters.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: So you need to make sure that you are communicating what those goals

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: are, what success looks like to you and showing up in a way that brings

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_00]: real value to the organization, to your leader so that they can see

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_00]: your ambition and they can help you grow.

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_00]: The second pro of ambition is it drives innovation and growth.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Ambitious individuals are often at the forefront of innovation.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: They're willing to take risks and explore new ideas.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I know this to be true.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: One of our other goals as an organization to build that value

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: so that we can create a thousand millionaires is to be the category

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: leader in computerized industrial cleaning equipment.

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: And we want to do that worldwide.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: We want to have working industrial cleaning automation in every single

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: major industrial manufacturing facility worldwide by 2040.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_00]: That is going to require a lot of innovation.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: When you're ambitious and you're looking for ways to grow,

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: you're more creative, you're more willing to explore new ideas.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: You're more willing to employ ambidextrous thinking,

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: which is the idea that you can hold to opposing truths

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: in your mind at the same time and figure out a way to converge them.

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's going to be really, really powerful.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to be innovative, if you want to unleash your creativity,

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: your ambition really matters there.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_00]: And I love this statistic provided by Harvard Business Review.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: They found during a study that they did that companies led by ambitious CEOs

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: are 35 percent more likely to invest in research and development

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: leading to greater innovation and long term growth.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And so that really resonates with me because that's absolutely what we're here to do.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Being an employee owned company, we have this really long view.

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: We don't feel the pressures of quarterly earnings like public companies

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: or the pressures of fast growth like private equity owned companies.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: We can have this long vision of what it's going to take to have

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: that type of technology that will be in every single

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: heavy industrial manufacturing facility in the world

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00]: through our product development and through our innovation.

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: So ambition can lead to that innovation and growth.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: The third pro of being ambitious is that you usually have increased

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: motivation and engagement.

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: I know this to be true.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I am such a motivated person, and that causes me to be incredibly

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: engaged in what I do, and it helps me achieve success.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: And I also know that while my motivation can be exhausting at times

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: to people because I can just drive and drive and drive.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm always thinking five years down the road, ten years down the road

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and how we're going to be positioning ourselves to not just be part of the

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_00]: industry, but really drive the industry.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I also know that motivation is really contagious.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: My enthusiasm inspires and energizes my teams most of the time when they're

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: not like, oh my God, more work and it leads to increased engagement.

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And at Stone Age, we have a highly engaged workforce.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's because people see that there's this bigger picture.

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_00]: They see that senior leadership led by me.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: It's really ambitious.

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_00]: We have these big, ambitious goals and we do it in a way that takes care of people.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And that brings people along and asks for people's inputs and gives people

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_00]: autonomy in their work.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So we have really high employee engagement, which we all know the

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Gallup statistics that that more engaged employees lead to higher

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_00]: productivity and higher profitability.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_00]: So your motivation by being ambitious can absolutely inspire others

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: if you wield it in a healthy way.

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's a big pro of being ambitious.

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And finally, the fourth pro of being ambitious is resilience and persistence.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Ambition fosters resilience.

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Why? Because you have to persevere through setbacks and challenges.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_00]: You have to look at those setbacks and challenges as opportunities rather

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: than obstacles.

[00:08:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And when you are ambitious, you are saying, I am going to figure this out

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: no matter what happens.

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_00]: So it really does help you create more resilience, more ability to bounce back

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and not just bounce back, but bounce forward whenever you have a setback.

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't actually even look at anything as setbacks doing this for so long.

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Being a very ambitious leader and driving change and innovation

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_00]: throughout our industry.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00]: We've made tons of mistakes.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Things have absolutely happened that you could say, oh, well, that's a setback.

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_00]: But every single time we've had something like that happen, I've learned

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_00]: from it or we've learned from it as an organization.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: We've got better because of it.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So I do not look at challenges or setbacks as negative things.

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: It's just a way to be able to reset, to learn and to try something new

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: that will hopefully get you onto a better path.

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_00]: That is the ownership mindset.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: It's really that idea you're responsible for everything that happens

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: in your life and even when things don't go the way that you expect

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_00]: or the way that you want it, that you can learn and grow from it

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and turn it into something really good.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_00]: And ambitious people are better at doing that because they are going to go

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: after their goals with gusto and nothing's going to hold them back.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Being resilient and persevering through tough times.

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: That is the name of the game, especially in leadership.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So ambition really helps build that resiliency.

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_00]: So those are kind of the four areas that I have found in my life

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_00]: that ambition has really helped me.

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: It's helped me help me absolutely set huge goals and achieve them.

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_00]: It's helped me innovate and drive growth.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_00]: It's helped me stay motivated and be highly engaged and inspires others too,

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_00]: too, and it's helped me be able to persevere through anything

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and really not just bounce back but bounce forward.

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_00]: But there are cons of being ambitious.

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And so these first three I've definitely experienced myself.

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And then the fourth one we'll talk about and I guard against it.

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: The first is burnout.

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: There is high risk of burnout when you are a highly ambitious person

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: because you tend to overwork.

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_00]: You put in so many hours in your relentless pursuit of goals

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00]: that you can become exhausted.

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00]: You can stress yourself out.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And I definitely have done this, especially in my early days of leadership.

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I share a story in my book where I had a breakdown

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_00]: a couple of months before I was going to give birth to my son

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: because I had taken on so many things.

[00:10:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I had said yes to so many things because I wanted to be part of everything.

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_00]: I had fear of missing out and because I was really ambitious

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and I just thought I could do everything.

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_00]: And I realized that I couldn't do everything

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_00]: and not only could I not do everything, but I didn't want to do everything.

[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_00]: It was creating resentment in my life.

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I had to say no to things.

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I had to back out of commitments because I was burning out.

[00:11:13] [SPEAKER_00]: It's definitely a downfall of ambition.

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've seen it many times where really ambitious people

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_00]: who haven't built that resiliency and haven't learned how to be able

[00:11:21] [SPEAKER_00]: to rest, burn themselves out and get stressed out

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_00]: and then have to make a change.

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's because they're not really managing that risk of burnout.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's the first one.

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_00]: The second one is strange relationship.

[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Ambitious leaders sometimes prioritize their goals over relationships

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER_00]: which can strain those relationships, both personal and professional.

[00:11:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And I definitely battle with this one

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_00]: because I do have so many big goals for myself

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_00]: and I want to achieve so much.

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes that can be lonely.

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes that pursuit of those goals is the most important thing.

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_00]: And it can hurt your relationships because you choose to not spend time

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_00]: with people that you love or you can come across as highly focused

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: or even self-centered on your goals.

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's tough.

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I know I'm not easy to be married to.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I know that not because I'm not a lot of fun and very kind and generous,

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_00]: but those ambitions and goals sometimes can say,

[00:12:18] [SPEAKER_00]: hey, I'd rather work on this than, I don't know, go play golf.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Or yes, I'm going to take on this speaking engagement because I really want to.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And yes, it means I'm not going to be home this week.

[00:12:30] [SPEAKER_00]: So yes, that can cause strain.

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_00]: So you really have to think about how you are managing that ambition

[00:12:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and working through what that means for your relationships

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_00]: so that you do not leave people feeling like they are left behind

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_00]: or uncommunicated with.

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_00]: So you really have to work on balancing that to make sure that

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_00]: the relationships that you value in your life, that you're taking care of them

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_00]: and that you're communicating openly so people understand

[00:12:59] [SPEAKER_00]: where your drive is coming from.

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And you can understand the wishes and expectations

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_00]: that people have of you in those relationships.

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And then the third one is too narrow of a focus.

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm a big picture person, so I don't fall into this trap as much.

[00:13:14] [SPEAKER_00]: But if you really are ambitious and you are a detail focused person

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_00]: and you just put your blinders on and are really intensely focused

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_00]: on achieving that goal, you absolutely miss other things going on around you.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_00]: And some of those things could help inform things that you should be doing

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_00]: to be more successful or help give you warning signs that these

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00]: relationships are at risk here or maybe you're so focused

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_00]: you don't understand the impact that you're having on your employees

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_00]: because your ambition, it's just creating those blinders.

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So take a step back and go, OK, what are my priorities?

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_00]: What am I missing as I'm really driving towards these goals?

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And then the fourth one is that ambition can lead to a potential

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: for unethical behavior in some cases, extreme ambition

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: can cause people to do things that are questionable

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: so that they can achieve their goals.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_00]: And I definitely understand this.

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I write about this in the book when I was in my very first sales job.

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I totally threw a friend of mine under the bus

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_00]: because I wanted to get a promotion.

[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to be seen as better in my boss's eyes.

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And I have a ton of shame and regret around that.

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've had to work through that.

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_00]: That was not a cool thing to do.

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So I really thought long and hard about that when I moved back to Dringo

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_00]: and I started my recovery and I started this deep dive into

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_00]: why I cared so much about what people thought of me

[00:14:38] [SPEAKER_00]: and the dark side of my ambition and drive

[00:14:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and why it was causing me to make really poor choices in my life.

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And I decided I never wanted to be like that.

[00:14:47] [SPEAKER_00]: I never wanted my ambition

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_00]: to cause me to make unethical choices

[00:14:53] [SPEAKER_00]: that would hurt other people.

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So I really learned something from that lesson back in my 20s.

[00:15:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've carried that going forward.

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you talk to anybody at Stone Age,

[00:15:05] [SPEAKER_00]: they know we're going to always do the right thing.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter.

[00:15:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And there's always those choices that you have to make in any business.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And it can be easy to be like,

[00:15:14] [SPEAKER_00]: ah, that's not that big of a deal.

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_00]: It's in the gray area.

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go ahead and cut this corner.

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And I have learned every time you cut a corner,

[00:15:21] [SPEAKER_00]: you're willing to cut more corners.

[00:15:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And you're also role modeling that behavior for other people.

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Always do the right thing.

[00:15:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I think I shared in a podcast some time ago,

[00:15:30] [SPEAKER_00]: but we're talking about a decision

[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_00]: in the product development process.

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And we talked about skipping this portion of a regulatory process.

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: It was like, we're so small, no one's going to ever know.

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, pause, no, that is not the right thing.

[00:15:45] [SPEAKER_00]: That is not how we show up as employee owners.

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I said, the president with my team to say,

[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_00]: you know, anytime you feel pressured to cut a corner

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_00]: because there's pressure to get a new product launch

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_00]: or immediate deadline, stop and ask yourself,

[00:15:59] [SPEAKER_00]: is this the right thing to do?

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Is this role modeling the right behavior

[00:16:03] [SPEAKER_00]: for the rest of my employee owners?

[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you still feel a conflict

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_00]: of making that decision, come to me

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_00]: because I'll help make that decision.

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Because I know I'm always going to make the right decision.

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I learned so much from those lessons in my 20s

[00:16:17] [SPEAKER_00]: about the shame and guilt and regret I felt

[00:16:20] [SPEAKER_00]: about doing things that were in that gray area

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_00]: so that I could get ahead.

[00:16:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I really lead my life this way.

[00:16:28] [SPEAKER_00]: No unethical decisions, no unethical behavior,

[00:16:32] [SPEAKER_00]: always do the right thing.

[00:16:33] [SPEAKER_00]: But a lot of people will cut those corners.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_00]: They will get into that gray area

[00:16:39] [SPEAKER_00]: because they prioritize their ambition

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_00]: over doing the right things.

[00:16:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So that is a significant con

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that ambitious people always need to be aware of.

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So those are the pros and the cons from my experience.

[00:16:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure that there's more,

[00:16:51] [SPEAKER_00]: but those I think are the heavy hitters.

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_00]: So now let's talk about how to balance your ambition.

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER_00]: So that you can lead a happy, healthy life

[00:17:00] [SPEAKER_00]: where you don't burn out

[00:17:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and you prioritize your most important relationship.

[00:17:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's what I do.

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_00]: One, I set realistic goals.

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Now I have big, huge goals that I want to achieve,

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_00]: but you can't just go out

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and set those big, huge goals without chunking it down

[00:17:15] [SPEAKER_00]: into realistic goals that you can hit

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_00]: over a specified period of time.

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_00]: So I break my big goal down to much smaller goals

[00:17:25] [SPEAKER_00]: that allow me to attain them.

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Allow me to feel like it's realistic

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and I don't have to burn out with trying to go from zero

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_00]: to 60 in two seconds

[00:17:34] [SPEAKER_00]: when it's gonna really take me a couple of years.

[00:17:37] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you set those realistic goals or chunk it out

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_00]: so that you can attain realistic goals,

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_00]: you can still keep looking ahead and going big,

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_00]: but celebrate the wins along the way.

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER_00]: The next thing that you need to do is focus on the gains.

[00:17:52] [SPEAKER_00]: There's this great book by Dr. Benjamin Hardy

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and it's from a concept from Dan Sullivan

[00:17:59] [SPEAKER_00]: who is a famous executive coach called The Gap and the Gain.

[00:18:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm gonna do a whole podcast on this

[00:18:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and so you can check that episode out in the coming months,

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_00]: but I'll just briefly explain it here.

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_00]: When you live in the gap

[00:18:12] [SPEAKER_00]: you're always constantly comparing yourself

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_00]: to some ideal version of yourself

[00:18:16] [SPEAKER_00]: or you are holding other people accountable

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_00]: or you are judging people

[00:18:21] [SPEAKER_00]: on the expectations that you have of them.

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's really tough.

[00:18:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So even though you have these big goals

[00:18:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and you have these high expectations,

[00:18:29] [SPEAKER_00]: if you're measuring yourself against those things

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_00]: then you're always going to see how you are falling short.

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER_00]: When you measure yourself in the gain

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER_00]: which is looking back and saying,

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_00]: oh here's all of the things that I have done

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_00]: to get to where I am now

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_00]: it's a much more positive place to be.

[00:18:45] [SPEAKER_00]: So I really like this concept of The Gap and the Gain

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: when you're setting realistic goals.

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Measure yourself by the gain,

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_00]: how far you've come versus how far yet you have to go

[00:18:54] [SPEAKER_00]: and that helps manage that stress

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_00]: and it helps you celebrate the wins

[00:18:58] [SPEAKER_00]: and stay in a much more positive mindset.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So be on the lookout for that podcast here

[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_00]: in the next couple of months.

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, the second thing, foster ethical standards.

[00:19:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Like I just said, always do the right thing.

[00:19:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I hold myself accountable to always doing the right thing

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: and that has proliferated through our entire organization.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_00]: So you as a leader need to establish

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_00]: that strong ethical framework in your own team or organization

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_00]: so that it guides proper decision-making

[00:19:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and it prevents unethical behaviors driven by ambition

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_00]: whether that's your ambition

[00:19:32] [SPEAKER_00]: that other people are driving towards

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_00]: because they feel that pressure

[00:19:35] [SPEAKER_00]: or there's ambitious people on your team as well

[00:19:39] [SPEAKER_00]: who are okay with playing in the gray.

[00:19:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So do not allow that.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Those gray areas, talk about them,

[00:19:45] [SPEAKER_00]: have a decision-making framework

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER_00]: that says we always do the right thing

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and if someone feels pressure to not do the right thing

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_00]: to go into the gray area

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_00]: that should be escalated up to you as the leader.

[00:19:58] [SPEAKER_00]: The third thing is to take care of yourself.

[00:20:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't believe in work-life balance.

[00:20:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know that that actually exists

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and it's different for everybody.

[00:20:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Although I think that people are finding it more

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and more now that they're realizing like,

[00:20:10] [SPEAKER_00]: oh my God, I don't have to work 70 or 80 or 90 hours a week

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER_00]: to be successful.

[00:20:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I certainly know that I've reframed my mindset

[00:20:18] [SPEAKER_00]: around how many hours I work

[00:20:20] [SPEAKER_00]: and what success looks like

[00:20:21] [SPEAKER_00]: and how I give myself more rest and recuperation time

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_00]: so that I do have time to think

[00:20:26] [SPEAKER_00]: and to drive the company forward

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_00]: because I'm not just inundated with busyness.

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Busyness does not mean you're productive.

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Busyness does not lead to success.

[00:20:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Working on the most important things

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and taking care of yourself leads to success.

[00:20:41] [SPEAKER_00]: So what does that look like?

[00:20:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Getting enough sleep, drinking enough water,

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER_00]: eating healthy, moving your body, meditating

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and doing something that you love to do every single day.

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, every single day.

[00:20:55] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're not doing something

[00:20:56] [SPEAKER_00]: that you love every single day, then what is the point?

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Because life is so short.

[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_00]: So every single day I make sure

[00:21:02] [SPEAKER_00]: that I do something that I love.

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I love to exercise so I start my day off with that

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_00]: so I get two for one exercise and something that I love

[00:21:10] [SPEAKER_00]: but that is what you do to take care of yourself

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and you really need to foster that type of mentality

[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_00]: within your team and company as well.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Role model that for your team.

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure that your team members are taking time off

[00:21:24] [SPEAKER_00]: that they are resting and recuperating

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and that they feel like they have the support

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_00]: to go deal with their issues

[00:21:31] [SPEAKER_00]: and make sure that you're also promoting this

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER_00]: within your team.

[00:21:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Again, self-care is a discipline, not a luxury.

[00:21:38] [SPEAKER_00]: How are you role modeling that for your team

[00:21:40] [SPEAKER_00]: and how are you making it safe for your team members

[00:21:43] [SPEAKER_00]: to be able to say, hey, I need a personal day here

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: because I've got a lot going on.

[00:21:48] [SPEAKER_00]: How are you as a company promoting wellness?

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Do you encourage wellness breaks and exercise

[00:21:54] [SPEAKER_00]: and eating right and getting enough sleep?

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Do you create psychological safety

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_00]: so that people feel like it's safe to speak up?

[00:22:02] [SPEAKER_00]: All of those things are really important in self-care.

[00:22:05] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you don't wanna burn out

[00:22:07] [SPEAKER_00]: and you wanna balance that ambition,

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_00]: make sure you're taking care of yourself

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_00]: and make sure that your team is doing the same.

[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_00]: The fourth thing is focus on relationships.

[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_00]: You've got to invest in building

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_00]: and maintaining strong relationships

[00:22:20] [SPEAKER_00]: both personally and professionally.

[00:22:23] [SPEAKER_00]: So professionally, the way that I do it,

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I have really meaningful relationships

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_00]: with my executive management team,

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER_00]: the people who report directly to me

[00:22:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and many people within the company.

[00:22:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Now this does not mean that I'm friends with them.

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I absolutely do not hang out with my employees

[00:22:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and I think that no leader should,

[00:22:39] [SPEAKER_00]: but it doesn't mean that you can't have strong

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_00]: really meaningful relationships with people

[00:22:42] [SPEAKER_00]: that there's trust in that

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_00]: and that they know you,

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that you can be vulnerable with them.

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_00]: That just builds a stronger connection

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER_00]: within your professional network.

[00:22:51] [SPEAKER_00]: So don't be afraid to get to know your employees

[00:22:54] [SPEAKER_00]: and let your employees get to know you

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER_00]: or your peers or even your leader within your company.

[00:22:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Those relationships are incredibly important.

[00:23:02] [SPEAKER_00]: So take the time to build them.

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And then personally,

[00:23:05] [SPEAKER_00]: we need people who we can lean on

[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_00]: when things, the going gets tough.

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_00]: We need people who we can laugh with.

[00:23:10] [SPEAKER_00]: We need people who understand us

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and accept us for who we are.

[00:23:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And if we're so focused on driving our goals

[00:23:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and we don't maintain relationships,

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00]: then it can be really lonely

[00:23:20] [SPEAKER_00]: and make it feel like it's not really worthwhile.

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Does not mean you have to have a lot of relationships.

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I have very, very few close friendships,

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_00]: but the ones that I do have are incredibly meaningful

[00:23:31] [SPEAKER_00]: and helpful in my life.

[00:23:32] [SPEAKER_00]: They're inspiring and I make time to nurture them.

[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't have time to have hundreds of friendships in my life

[00:23:40] [SPEAKER_00]: and that's okay, that's where I'm at in my life.

[00:23:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And that might be where you are too,

[00:23:43] [SPEAKER_00]: but you've got to find that right balance for yourself.

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER_00]: So think about how you're nurturing those relationships,

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_00]: both personally and professionally.

[00:23:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And then finally, number five,

[00:23:52] [SPEAKER_00]: encourage broader perspectives.

[00:23:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I like this one for two reasons.

[00:23:56] [SPEAKER_00]: One, it helps you with that con

[00:23:58] [SPEAKER_00]: that we talked about earlier of a narrow focus.

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_00]: When you take a step back and you see that bigger picture

[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_00]: and you ask people for their input,

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_00]: you get more diverse perspectives

[00:24:07] [SPEAKER_00]: and more holistic thinking.

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And so this helps you make sure

[00:24:11] [SPEAKER_00]: that you don't put the blinders on and miss something

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_00]: so you can make better decisions as a leader.

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And the other reason that I really love this

[00:24:18] [SPEAKER_00]: if you don't have that narrow focus

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_00]: is that it still helps you go bigger.

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_00]: So we just had a great day and a half planning session

[00:24:25] [SPEAKER_00]: with my executive management team at Stone Age

[00:24:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and we talked about 10Xing.

[00:24:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Like how do we 10X?

[00:24:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Not just from a revenue or profitability standpoint,

[00:24:32] [SPEAKER_00]: but just how we're leveling up as a company

[00:24:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and what kind of trade-offs are we going to make?

[00:24:37] [SPEAKER_00]: What are we going to stop doing

[00:24:39] [SPEAKER_00]: so that we can really hone in

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_00]: on the things that are going to help us

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER_00]: take that next leap as a company?

[00:24:44] [SPEAKER_00]: We had so many fantastic ideas

[00:24:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and I went into it with kind of the vision

[00:24:48] [SPEAKER_00]: of where I thought it was going to go.

[00:24:50] [SPEAKER_00]: But because we had this conversation

[00:24:51] [SPEAKER_00]: that allowed for broader perspectives

[00:24:53] [SPEAKER_00]: where everybody came from it

[00:24:55] [SPEAKER_00]: from their departmental perspective

[00:24:57] [SPEAKER_00]: but also their personal perspective,

[00:24:59] [SPEAKER_00]: we came up with some really, really fantastic steps to take

[00:25:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and ideas to explore that I hadn't thought of

[00:25:07] [SPEAKER_00]: in that moment.

[00:25:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I love that because again, the goal is the goal

[00:25:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and the goal doesn't have to be just you

[00:25:14] [SPEAKER_00]: getting to that goal,

[00:25:16] [SPEAKER_00]: doing it your way with only your idea.

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_00]: When you involve other people

[00:25:19] [SPEAKER_00]: and you get those broader perspectives,

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_00]: it not only helps you from not having that narrow focus,

[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_00]: it also helps you cultivate a better idea

[00:25:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and maybe think bigger

[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and bring people along for the ride with you

[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_00]: which is what most people want.

[00:25:33] [SPEAKER_00]: They don't wanna get left behind in your ambition.

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER_00]: So hopefully that gave you some ways

[00:25:40] [SPEAKER_00]: to think about ambition

[00:25:42] [SPEAKER_00]: whether you are a highly ambitious person like me

[00:25:45] [SPEAKER_00]: where your ambition can be exhausting

[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_00]: to both yourself and to others

[00:25:49] [SPEAKER_00]: or maybe you're not a super ambitious person

[00:25:52] [SPEAKER_00]: but you want to be and in that case

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe pick a few things in your life

[00:25:57] [SPEAKER_00]: that you're very passionate about or love to do

[00:25:59] [SPEAKER_00]: whether that's personal or professionally

[00:26:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and say, what if I was really ambitious in this area?

[00:26:04] [SPEAKER_00]: What would it look like?

[00:26:05] [SPEAKER_00]: How would that benefit my life

[00:26:07] [SPEAKER_00]: and how would I make sure I find that balance?

[00:26:10] [SPEAKER_00]: So to wrap things up,

[00:26:11] [SPEAKER_00]: ambition is an incredibly powerful force

[00:26:14] [SPEAKER_00]: that drives business leaders to achieve remarkable things.

[00:26:17] [SPEAKER_00]: However, it must be balanced with ethical behavior,

[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_00]: healthy work habits and a broad perspective

[00:26:24] [SPEAKER_00]: to avoid those potential pitfalls

[00:26:26] [SPEAKER_00]: of driving, driving, driving towards your goals.

[00:26:31] [SPEAKER_00]: By understanding and managing

[00:26:33] [SPEAKER_00]: the pros and cons of ambition,

[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_00]: you will be able to harness its full power

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_00]: to benefit both yourself and your team and company.

[00:26:41] [SPEAKER_00]: All right, with that I will leave you to your day.

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you have a fantastic one.

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you again for joining me on Reflect Forward.

[00:26:48] [SPEAKER_00]: If you like this podcast, please share it with a friend,

[00:26:51] [SPEAKER_00]: write a review, subscribe to it

[00:26:53] [SPEAKER_00]: on your favorite podcast platform or on my YouTube channel.

[00:26:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I always appreciate it, it helps with the algorithms

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_00]: and it spreads through.

[00:26:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much.

[00:27:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Have a great day, we'll see you next week.