Power and the Nature of Ambition

POWER AND THE NATURE OF AMBITION

Stewardship can break down when leaders use power to advance their own position. “In my view the greatest evil in the world today is ever-increasing power and wealth in ever-fewer hands,” says Visa founder Dee Hock.

Much is made today of how information technologies enable increasing distribution of power where “[people] dispersed physically but connected by technology are now able, on a scale never before imaginable, to make their own decisions using information gathered from many other people and places.”11 Yet, the potential distribution of power and authority often clashes with deeper personal drives, especially within senior managers. HP’s Ann Murray Allen puts it this way: “The nurturing and support of social networks—when it occurs—happens mostly at the business unit level, where products and services are more directly tied to customers. Unfortunately I too often see these networks of collaboration give way to networks of ambition at the corporate headquarters level.”

Barbara Stocking of Oxfam sees a connection between ambition, results, and the traditional male domination of the executive suite. “There are a lot of studies now that show that women’s ways of leading are different regarding competition and ambition. When management teams are so caught up in jockeying for status and position that they don’t actually deliver results, then the women on those teams will stand back and say, ‘Frankly, I can’t be bothered. I’ve got a family to look after and the rest of my life to manage, and I’m not going to devote enormous quantities of my time to a whole load of infighting.’ I don’t know whether it’s because so many women have other responsibilities or it’s just a woman’s nature. But they tend to pull back and say, ‘If it’s not achieving something, then I’m not going to waste my time on it.’ On the whole, women in senior positions tend to be more ambitious about the thing itself rather than their own future and career.”

Stocking’s comments suggest a secret appreciated by all too few managers: having a larger life might actually help managers maintain a sense of perspective and be better managers. Several years ago, when she was to be promoted to a senior management position at BP, Vivienne Cox had also just had her first baby. She went to one of the most senior managers at BP and told him, “I just want you to know that BP is not the most important thing in my life. My daughter is. If you think this will be in conflict with these new responsibilities, then it would be better to not promote me.” Cox reflects today, “While my job is very demanding, being clear about my personal priorities has really helped me, and maybe others in the organization as well.”