What Does High Ambition Really Do to Relationships? | #PeopleSkills
by Kate Nasser | 2 Comments »
High ambition has driven many people to work hard and achieve great success. Many agree and few would debate it. Yet high ambition can affect professional and personal relationships and not always in a positive way. If you have high ambition, consider the following effects and how to prevent leaving scars.
What Impact Does Your High Ambition Have on Others?
It’s a question worth considering. Otherwise, people may surprise you one day with claims of what you did to them as you traveled your ambitious road.
Does Your High Ambition …
-
Dominate others? Does your high ambition drive you to run over other’s views?
-
Cast you as a bully? It can if your rationalize that you are just trying to reach a goal.
-
Create a hierarchy of who’s more important? You may find that your high ambition subordinates other’s needs to yours at work and at home.
-
Hint that other’s less driven are lazy? You may insult others by encouraging them to be more ambitious instead of respecting their journey.
-
Rob other people of your attention? Listening with full attention is the way to build professional and personal relationships. Ignoring them is dismissive and leaves scars.
-
Define relationships purely your way? If you ever find yourself saying, but I am doing all this for you, stop and apologize. You have elected yourself emperor without knowing if others want to be your subjects.
High Ambition Is Positive When You …
-
Travel your journey with respect and dignity for others all along the way.
-
Find common ground when you interact to achieve your high ambition.
-
Build trust through a “we” focus not a “me” focus.
-
Achieve without conquering people.
-
Show gratitude along the way for everyone who contributes to your success. Help them in return.
-
Live and work with integrity.
High ambition can take you to wondrous places. Yet if you travel there without considering other’s needs, the scars you inflict may haunt you and others for a very long time.
From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™
Related Posts:
Create Common Ground With These Essential Beliefs
Winning Everything Only for Ourselves Isn’t Everything
©2018 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.
Get more inspiration and actionable tips for high engagement results!
Buy Kate Nasser’s new book Leading Morale (Amazon.com).

Hi Kate,
Nice post as usual.
I think being on a faster track than others in the team might create detachments and frustration.
The problem with these things are all perceptional. One might think he or she is doing well by pushing but one should have true sense of leadership to pull others on the same speed to avoid such gaps.
Either way, building a culture of continuous feedback will enhance communication between all parties to readjust the sail and work as one harmonious team toward a unified vision.
Regards,
Khalid
Dear Khalid,
I absolutely love your perspective on “continuous feedback will enhance communication between all parties to readjust the sail and work as one harmonious team…”
Your comments and examples always bring a clarity and momentum to the concepts.
Thanks!!
Kate