Kal Suurkask describes himself as an ambitious person.
His life is proof. Only in his mid-20s, Suurkask is a public relations
expert with a large company in Vancouver, BC. That job has added
to his accomplishments in public speaking, a field he entered following
a hockey career at Notre Dame College, an academy noted for producing
outstanding student athletes. Recently, he's taken up classical
guitar to further round out his abilities.
Ambition, a human trait susceptible to a bad rap, is what drives
Suurkask. He sees nothing negative in pushing himself toward newer
and bolder heights.
"I've always had the desire to achieve a certain level of
success or distinction in any activity that I've engaged in, whether
it was playing sports, being on the speaking circuit, or just learning
what it takes to become an expert in the PR and communications
field," he said. "I've always felt that ambition has
allowed me to do things beyond what could otherwise be achieved
without ambition."
Suurkask's statement points out ambition's finer quality: the
goal of innovation and excellence. Yet people have always been
wary of the high-achievers among us. Jonathan Swift noted that
the act of climbing is accomplished with the same motion as creeping,
the satirist hinting that unchecked ambition can lead to unscrupulous
actions.
As Swift and other writers have warned, the ambitious walk the
line between aiming for mastery of their craft and being over-competitive,
desiring victory more than anything. At least one ambitious man
disagrees with that characterization.
"I believe ambition is not only sufficient but necessary
in most situations, and in working within Swift's analogy, it's
whether we choose to climb or creep that is ultimately the issue.
In other words, it's the method chosen by the ambitious person
that may present the problem," Suurkask said.
In literature, ambition is consistently portrayed as a complex
attribute that can swing a protagonist from hero to villain upon
a single act. Shakespearean scholars have debated whether it was
ambition or something more superficial, such as jealousy or pride,
that became Macbeth’s tragic shortcoming.
With such long-standing wariness and misunderstanding about our
ambition, it's no wonder it is considered somewhat notorious.
"To be sure, ambition needs a better reputation," author
James Champy writes in his essay, The Residue of Leadership: Why
Ambition Matters. "In recent years, to 'be ambitious' has
come to be seen as a character flaw. Yet for leaders to make a
difference -- and for the benefits of markets and technology to
be widely shared – requires more, not less, ambition."
Champy, the author of "The Arc of Ambition", credits
entrepreneurial spirit for the rapid rise of hi-tech startups in
numerous industries previously dominated by a few corporate giants.
In their reluctance to take risks on unproven markets, telecommunications
companies like AT&T have allowed a vast stream of innovators
to enter the marketplace. In publishing, traditional powers have
seen their hold on information eroded by small, independent publishers
based on the Internet, and, of course, mega-success stories like
Yahoo! and Google were made through visionary endeavors to change
how the world communicates.
"Large corporations, in particular, develop immunities to
innovation, entrepreneurship, and ambition. They train people in
the analysis of risk but focus on avoiding the unknown rather than
taking prudent chances," Champy writes.
According to his research, the desire for financial and career
success isn't a true hallmark of the motivated. The creative spark
ambition ignites is what spurs many of us, allowing for groundbreaking
innovations. Champy insists ambition remains underrated in the
arenas of politics and work because its good points are constantly
tainted by suspicion of its bad.
Suurkask, noting that "we're all ambitious in some capacity",
labels ambition as a human virtue, not a foible. He said: "If
ambition is what propels us to get up off our seats, take action
and get ahead, then it has got to be a good thing."
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