A New Call to Leaders
Noble.
Ambition.
Who comes to mind?
“Noble” is higher cause, higher order, a cut above the rest. It has a dignity to it. It is certainly not soft or passive. It’s interesting that it can sometimes feel dismissive when wielded by a bystander. “Noble, but…” suggests that it’s not attainable and that attention should be placed on more practical matters at hand. Noble provides something better for those in its presence.
“Ambition” is pure fire. It does not know rest; it does not know “no.” It’s the inner voice in yourself that doesn’t use clear, perfect words most of the time; it speaks in feelings of intense desire, dissatisfaction, the undeniable need to make a statement out of all the noise you’re managing through or even creating yourself. Ambition keeps you in the game when every fiber in your body is saying, “I’m out.” Instead, it says, “Let’s go,” even though you may not know exactly where you’re going.
These two attributes don’t always coexist. When there is nobility without ambition, you get “unattainable ideal states,” or even worse, critics who judge but do nothing to move the needle. Where there is ambition without nobility, you can find self-interest, or worse, full on greed.
Truth is, we need both. Now more than ever.
Our job as people is to provide…for family, organizations, society, struggling populations, and self. Provide what though? Money? Yeah, sure, but that’s not nearly enough. How about opportunity to grow and make big impact? How about access to opportunities not previously available? How about willingness to truly solve a problem seen as unattainable? Or the tenacity to move from the obscure to the admired?
If everyone viewed their role in life as being a provider, we’d get more done collectively. We’d say yes more than no. We’d have the guts to change the structure of our companies and organizations to achieve more together. We’d sacrifice now for later. We’d most certainly sacrifice good for great. And we would never, ever accept average as an outcome.
Noble ambition is not a high-minded idea. It’s a state of action and being that is pure, guided power. It carves paths and ensures you actually have followers on your shoulder and covering your blind side. It focuses efforts and decisions. It objectifies the subjective. It achieves more than most want to believe is possible. It’s a full-on quest.
This blog community celebrates noble ambitions of business leaders, community movers, and, hopefully, the unexpected places of life. Please join us if your quest is the same as ours.
Noble ambition is simple, but not easy. Let’s chase it together.
