The Harder They Fall
Overall, being ambitious is a
positive quality, however positive consequences of setting and achieving high goals
is not always the reality. In fact, in some cases, extreme ambition may end up
doing more harm than good. If you believe you're the type of person who is
overwhelmingly ambitious, you'll need to watch out for some dangerous side
effects (DeMers, 2017). “In their brilliant and rapid ascents, star leaders
repeatedly demonstrate the intelligence, resourcefulness, and drive to go the
distance”. They look adept at overcoming whatever obstacles they encounter along
the way, however the same leaders “demonstrate uncharacteristic lapses in
professional judgment or personal conduct” (Kramer, 2003).
What
Kramer (2003) defends is my strong belief that the higher one climbs, the
harder can be (not necessarily is) the fall. This statement has no correlation
with risk taking, neither neglect the importance of ambitiousness in corporate and
personal success. It simply alerts the precautions necessary to climb safely to
the top and know your grounds when you are there. A blind ambition, the
aversion for rules and for failure, the prioritization of efficiency over
effectiveness, and the down and upward omission to unethical behaviors can lead
a star leader (in a personal, professional and public scope) to drastic and almost
irreversible collapse.
Thinking
in the societal scope, the ambitiousness of governmental leaders can lead to objective
and subjective consequences. In one hand, unethical ambitious can negatively impact
on tariffs, taxes, laws, quality inspection of governmental agencies, employment,
social services, for instance. On the subjective side, depending on how influential
a leader is, it can impact on the society’s behavior and approach to habits and
aversion to diversity, for example.
At work the consequences
are more explored and explicit, as we have seen several scandals in the past
decades being uncovered, leading to radical and spread outcomes, as the great recession
of 2008. Unethical ambitious in a small business perhaps affects only the
employees and the community around, but usually this trait is rooted in mega
corporations, as power has often the last say on the decision-making process.
In the latter case, as Kramer (2003) says, the harder is the fall. The consequences
achieve once an unimaginable precedent, if was not for the recession. Mega corporations
has often equal or more powers than governments, even in developed countries (Kohls,
2014; SPERI, 2019; Ketchell, 2018; Vanbergen, 2016).
In my life, on an
individual level, I am often reminding myself of where I came from and the real
value of money. Although I am not a high ranked leader, the lifestyle my
company provides to me and my fellow colleagues causes confusion and often
illusion and distraction from reality. A simple example can illustrate it: my
way to work. My salary easily affords a driver on my way to the company. In
fact, going to work by taxi or driving is the most common type of transportation
of majority of my colleagues. But here follows the math: if I go by taxi, I
will spend an average of 50 dollars (return trip) and I will be ready in the
office in 25 minutes. Going with my own car will cost me around 25 dollars and
will take me around 40 minutes as I need to find a public parking spot. However,
if I go by metro, it will take me one hour and fifteen minutes, but it will
cost me 5 dollars (return trip). When
my colleagues ask me why I decided for public transportation, if in a month I
would spend an average of only 5% of my salary on private transportation, I
instantly say: “because I need to keep my feet on the ground”.
The reality of the
country I live in, especially the city where I reside and the lifestyle, I can
have access of, often deludes people, who struggle to adjust when they need or
decide to shift careers and place of residence. It also reflects on uncontrolled
expense and perception of monetary devalue. I constantly policy myself of the
traps that a blin ambitious life can lead me too. While climbing to the cliff
of my career, I triple check the straps and the safety gear, and I keep skeptic
about the pleasures of the view and the breeze of the tip point!
References
DeMers, J. (2017, September 7). Can Excessive Ambition Actually Ruin Your Chances of Success? Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/299222
Kramer,
R. M. (2003). The Harder They Fall. Harvard Business Review, 81(10),
58-66.
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