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Q25. Ambition


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  • Pastor Ralph changed the title to Q25. Ambition
  • 2 months later...

Q25 Ambition, We are first called to please God.  I think that spiritual ambition comes to those whose seed is planted on fertile soil.  The goal to reach for God in his son Jesus surpasses all worldly ambition.  The umbrella of this manifold grace of God in a leader will also instill a spirit of determination in those under a leader to seek God.  Seek God in all you do and say.  Leadership of ambitous leaders whose focus is on Christ find sources of ambition that is pleasing to God.  Any leader that lacks ambition lacks in spiritual gifts or choses not to use them.  The spirit of God promotes a certain ambition to serve God.  This will apply to familily and job leadership by proximity to Godly leadership.

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Q25. What is the role of ambition in leadership? What does leadership look like without ambition?

Ambition is the ability to set a goal, and follow through.  It takes a certain determination to stay focused.  It sets a direction and provides motivation.  It has to work within conditions that may not be perfect and one is able to make adjustments and still hit the goal.  Leaders must have a vision and find resources to accomplish the vision.  Without motivation and determination and keeping people on task the vision or projects would fail.

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Ambition is the desire to reach a certain goal and not necessarily that a person has pride. When God has called you, you will be able to focus on the work ahead of you and more often enquire of the Lord if the task ahead is challenging . The main aim is to do the Will of God without putting yourself first or doing that using your strength.

A leader without ambition, is a leader who lacks trust in God. When God calls a leader, He gives direction and when you lack ambition, you will not be able to fulfill the call and depend on others for support. A leader without ambition does not have a vision for growth in knowing the Will of God and knowing that His sustenance will make you achieve your vision. 

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The Role of Ambition in Leadership

  1. Vision and Direction: Ambitious leaders often have a clear vision and the drive to pursue it. This ambition helps to inspire and motivate others to follow, creating a sense of purpose within a team or organization.

  2. Goal Setting: Ambition fuels the setting of challenging goals. Ambitious leaders encourage innovation and push boundaries, which can lead to growth and success.

  3. Resilience: Ambitious leaders tend to be more resilient in the face of setbacks. Their drive helps them navigate obstacles and maintain focus on their long-term objectives.

  4. Influence: Ambition can enhance a leader's influence. A leader with clear goals and determination often inspires others to strive for excellence, fostering a culture of achievement.

Leadership Without Ambition

  1. Lack of Direction: Without ambition, leadership may lack a clear vision or goals. This can lead to stagnation, as teams might not know where they are headed or what they are working toward.

  2. Complacency: Leadership without ambition can result in complacency, where there’s little incentive for improvement or innovation. Teams may become disengaged and less motivated to excel.

  3. Minimal Risk-Taking: Ambition often drives leaders to take calculated risks. In its absence, leaders may avoid necessary risks, leading to missed opportunities for growth or improvement.

  4. Reactive Rather Than Proactive: Leaders without ambition may react to situations rather than proactively seek solutions or improvements, leading to a lack of strategic planning.

Conclusion

While ambition plays a crucial role in driving leadership effectiveness, it’s important to balance it with humility, empathy, and a focus on collaboration. Leadership devoid of ambition can still be effective in maintaining stability and ensuring operational efficiency, but it may struggle to inspire growth and innovation.

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Q25. 
What is the role of ambition in leadership? What does leadership look like without ambition? 
True leadership must have as its motivation the love for God and His people – an ambition to serve God. One without rivalry and conceit and one that practises humility in dealing with others, working hard for overall advancement. Taking their own needs and the needs of others into account – seeking greatness by serving others. Leadership without ambition is leadership without any intended goals similar to a failed state ending in chaos. An example could be leaders jockeying for position or trying to take over leadership instead of the desire to see the enterprise flourishing. Seen here selfish ambition is wrong. 
 

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I think ambition in leadership perhaps involves considering others while in pursuit of an outcome. Will a leadership strategy or goal lift others up or will it be to their detriment? If a greater good that honors God isn’t at the heart of the leadership then it’s misplaced ambition. 
 

Leadership that lacks ambition is bound to get sidetracked or falter when obstacles arise.

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Q. 25  What is the role of ambition in leadership?

Is to drive to achieve goals, excel, and make a significant impact. It motivates people to achieve success but it's important to balance it with other values.

What does leadership look like without ambition?

It can hinder a leader's ability to be effective.

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On 8/12/2024 at 8:54 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q25. What is the role of ambition in leadership? What does leadership look like without ambition?

Ambition is the drive to achieve goals, excel, and make a significant impact. It involves setting high standards, seeking growth, and aspiring to success.  Christian leadership must be marked by ambition: redeemed, redirected, self-sacrificing ambition, but ambition nonetheless.

Without ambition, no leadership will occur.

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 What is the role of ambition in leadership? What does leadership look like without ambition?

Ambition breeds motivation which brings forth transformation and vision to fruition.  Leadership without ambition is singular and limited.   Leadership with ambition is broad and encompasses others for a greater good.  Ambition is the breeding ground for mission, vision, values, fruitfulness and love. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

What is the role of ambition in leadership? What does leadership look like without ambition? 

Ambition is vital to leadership.  If the Lord has made clear the order to 'march', we all better march--in the breath and strength of His Spirit (Psalm 68:35).  We need His focus, since we know He has prepared good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)  Without ambition, leadership can stagnate, fester, and turn in on itself, thus crushing the very thing one is meant to be leading.  Leading means going somewhere! Ambition to journey is required.

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Perhaps this is overcomplicating things, but doesn't it seem that motives are never pure, that we rarely do something just for ourselves or just for God, but usually set goals in that fuzzy zone between self-centeredness and God-sensitiveness? We can never escape our minds. When we think or plot or make goals, WE are doing it ... hopefully under the inspiration of the Spirit, but it's still our minds and our subsequent dreams that motivate us.

Furthermore, most ambitions have consequences that benefit us as well as others. There are very few "pure plays" in the Christian life. The only time I can be certain of having a pure motive is when my ambitions actually harm me, when I give sacrificially in such a way that my own desires are shelved, ambitions tamped down and goals unmet.

I wish I could set goals knowing God's perfect future will but God's will unfolds so slowly that I have absolutely NO idea what He wants me to do in the long term. And that's the rub. Ambition always looks to the future. It takes a long-term stance. No one is ambitious for the hour ... ambition says, "This will be accomplished within five years ..."

When leaders chart out the future -- the five-years plan, etc. -- they assume that these goals are achievable and that they, themselves have the abiiity and perhaps calling to achieve them. In other words, they assume success will be theirs. When someone says they want to evangelize the world by a certain date, and then that date passes without the world being evangelized, was God at fault or was the person setting godly goals with an ungodly ambition? I don't know. Could God set us up for failure by having us set goals we don't reach, perhaps through no fault of our own? Could His goal be our failure, or, to word it differently, could His goal be to squelch our ambition?

I am no longer certain that God rewards obedience with success, ambition with accomplishment.

 

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