Ambition has come to enjoy the status of a desirable trait in the Western world. This is a relatively recent occurrence, though; a society built on predominantly Christian foundations has not always looked kindly on this characteristic that bears some relation to the deadly sin of pride.

By the same token, it makes sense that things have changed with increasing secularisation – such that, generally, we are now pretty comfortable with the idea that ambition is important to progress.

Overall, we have decided that it’s a Good Thing, because we know that it can deliver many other Good Things – to individuals, organisations and communities. But there is a flipside, of course: as a characteristic with the potential for producing great rewards, ambition is a virtue only in a facultative sense. As with many good things, too much of this one can be a problem.

Some of the risks are obvious.

A Sydney University study in 2008, ‘Australia at Work‘, showed that Australians work some of the longest hours in the developed world, with a relatively high proportion of workers clocking 50-plus hours a week. Perhaps uncoincidentally, another report from that year, ‘The Cost of Workplace Stress in Australia’, estimated that stress costs the Australian economy $14.8 billion a year.

But these are just the quantifiables. Behind such figures, one can be sure there are less tangible – but no less serious – social costs. When considered in terms of what they actually mean to the people affected, notions like reduced productivity, stress and burnout seem almost euphemistic for deeper human issues. There is suffering between the lines of these observations.

And it is not only individuals who are affected. A myopic focus on ‘goals’ can have broad implications: inhibition of entrepreneurship and creativity, damage to organisational culture, even sociological impacts. Though far from directly correlated, the problems of excessive materialism, diminished social capital and familial fragmentation are not divorced from a preoccupation with success. And that’s to say nothing of the impact that unfettered ambition can have on our physical surroundings.

Ambition is a crucial trait of successful individuals and organisations, but it can be a double-edged sword. So the question is: how do we strike the right productivity balance that fosters progress but avoids self-destruction?

Ryan Wallman is a Senior Writer at WellmarkPerspexa, specialising in ambitious and goal-orientated marketing communications for the B2B, corporate and healthcare sectors.

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