Ambition, By Itself, Is Not Enough

Be intentional. It’s two words of advice I regularly offer to people. A recent column of mine, in fact, focused on the connection between risk taking and being intentional. But being intentional doesn’t stop there: You also need to be intentional in how you manage your ambition because ambition, alone, isn’t enough to achieve your objectives.

The Problem

Too many people – smart, talented, creative people – struggle to reach their goals. At some point, usually midlife, they look in the mirror and wonder how they got to this point: far away from where they’d hoped they would be.

They say they had goals. They tell you they had concrete plans. They insist they were – and are – ambitious.

So, they erroneously conclude: “My plan just didn’t work.” Occasionally, there also will be some blame assigned to external factors: people, policies, office politics, bad luck, economic factors, the situation changed, etc.

In my experience, other factors are also in play. The first three:

·      They took the opportunities right in front of them, rather than strategizing to create their own options.

·      They made easy choices that didn’t truly serve their long-term goals.

·      They once had an idea of what they wanted, but they never formalized that dream into a goal or figured out a plan to get there.

There’s also fourth factor, which is more macro and impacts all other reasons cited for failure. It’s this: They failed because they weren’t “intentional” in executing their strategy.

“To have control over your career requires you to be intentional,” writes Avery Blank, a business, leadership, career, and policy strategist. “… Purposeful actions yield better results. Intentionality can lead to better projects, quicker promotions and higher salaries.”

Be Intentional to Drive Ambition

It doesn’t have to be like this. Not if you deliberately support being ambitious by also being intentional.

“Intentional career management is about deliberate, planned, and purposeful pursuit of career goals and opportunities,” writes career-management consultant Paula Asinof. “This does not mean that plans and goals are unwavering. Certainly, the journey can affect original goals, but detours and unexpected events may turn out to be the keys to success.”

And you do this by managing your own career. The reality, however, is this is easier for some people than for others. 

Intentional learners, for instance, have a built-in advantage, because he or she is someone who treats every moment as a learning opportunity and who learns from every daily experience without feeling as if it is an extra effort. Instead, the intentional learner doesn’t give it a second thought … it’s just part of daily behavior. Intentional learners spend 100 percent of their time in the world of learning.

“Formal learning opportunities account for only a small percentage of the learning a professional needs over the course of a career,” write McKinsey & Compan y’s Lisa Christensen, Jake Gittleson, and Matt Smith. “Everyday experiences and interactions offer tremendous learning opportunities, but only if you intentionally treat every moment as a learning opportunity.”

Things You Can Do

For others, the first – and most important task – is to embrace your ambitions. Make them your own – a part of you. Bring them in from the parking lot. They are not some disconnected collection of words and feelings.

Additionally, you can become more intentional in the following ways.

·      Diversify. Being intentional doesn’t always mean you need to be in “someone’s face.” Acquiring additional diversity – skills across geographies, industries and functions, for instance – is something you can do on your own. It makes you more valuable, sets you apart from others, creates additional options, and helps to drive your goals and keep you on your timeline.

“Importantly, diversity can be sought in the workplace and outside of it,” notes the CFA Institute. “Unlike surface-level diversity, acquired diversity is something that everyone can build.”

·      Say “No.” Wait, this is a good thing! When you say no to activities that don’t support your ambitions, you are intentionally opening up time to say yes to those activities that do. Have the courage to do so.

·      Develop your personal brand. Don’t be put off by this one. It’s worth the effort and – done right – isn’t viewed as being overly promotional or demonstrating extreme narcissism. But remember, your personal brand is how others see you, and not how you see yourself. Focus your efforts on how you are viewed externally.

·      Network. Sounds old school, but put in some effort. Go to events and gatherings whether in person or virtual. And force yourself to engage. You’ll find that you’re forcing something else – your career advancement – by doing so.

So, Intentionally Be Intentional

You can’t wait for someone else to hand you an opportunity; make it happen. In what you do, in the decisions you reach, and in the choices you make, you can improve your odds to get opportunities and achieve your ambitions.

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