The Rules of Achievement

By Don MacRae

We have all heard the same remark made countless times before: A newly elected
president or prime minister will declare that, as a boy, he knew he was destined to
lead his country. Or else an athlete, after winning the Olympic gold, will tell her
interviewer that she always knew she would achieve that goal someday.

Some people might say these folks are full of themselves. I say they have ambition
that urge to achieve or create something truly great. Ambition shapes our efforts in
life and drives our success. It can turn a simple, innovative idea into a global
business. Indeed, greatness is impossible without it. For this reason, whether in
business, sports, or the arts, we take our lead from people who succeed in their
ambitions and dismiss those who don't.

I'm not sure why I'm ambitious, but the clue may lie in something Howard Schultz,
who built Starbucks from a single coffee shop into a worldwide chain, once said.
"From my personal experience," said Schultz, "the more uninspiring your origins,
the more likely you are to use your imagination and invent worlds where everything
seems possible. That's certainly true for me." Schultz traces the roots of his
ambition to growing up in poverty. I can relate to that experience. Of course, not
everyone with ambition has a meager upbringing. Ambitious people come from all
walks of life, from every socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic background.

MAKING IT HAPPEN. My ambition has led me to develop a theory of human

interaction and teach it to management teams around the world. It has allowed me
to consult senior executives on strategy implementation and leadership concepts.
Others express their ambition by pioneering new products, developing cutting-edge
technologies, or creating business models that no one considered before.
My guess is that everyone has ambition, but many of us don't know it yet. Those
poor souls are waiting for a eureka moment that will magically transform them into
go-getters. I've got news for them: That moment will never happen if they don't
make it happen. In their book, The Arc of Ambition (Perseus Books, 2000), James
Champy and Nitin Nohria craft a nine-stage process for people who want to realize
their ambitions. In my work with senior executives, I have found two of Champy
and Nohria's stages to be most important: "dare to dream new dreams" and "seize
the moment." Without the dream, you'll never start the journey. And without the
willingness to act on the dream, you'll never finish.

Many successful people hit goals that no one else can. But real achievers reach
targets that no one else can even see. They bring fresh insights to a situation and
brush off criticism from people who are stuck in mediocre ways. They have the
guts to ask "what if" questions -- and the creativity to find answers to those
questions. How do these people learn to think this way? My experience is that they
program themselves to look beyond the immediate horizon. Even as they're taking
care of business today, they're always scouting for the next big idea that could
improve their company or be the seed for a new business.

THE KEY: BEING PREPARED. Like other management consultants, I try to keep
one step ahead of my clients by reading about every new approach toward
improving the bottom line or preparing an organization for the future. When I find a
great new book, I usually buy a bunch of copies and give them to executives I'm
advising. I remember back in 1995 delivering copies of James Champy's
Reengineering Management: The Mandate for New Leadership to a client when I
met up with the company CEO. I was about to present him with his copy when he
enthusiastically explained that not only had he read it but had just delivered a talk
on it to a class of MBAs at his alma mater. I shouldn't have been surprised. This
guy is an ambitious achiever. He sees what others don't because he is constantly
looking beyond the obvious and has the courage to explore new ways of thinking.
Daring to dream new ideas isn't enough, however. Many talented people never
realize their ambitions because they're too paralyzed to act. Various factors help
achievers "seize the moment" -- including being in the right place at the right time.
The key factor, though, comes straight from the Boy Scouts' handbook: Be
prepared. Knowledge, experience, hard work, and presence of mind will prepare
you to recognize opportunity when it appears.

I've worked with a bright, ambitious executive for the past 15 years. During that
time, she has been promoted, demoted, moved laterally, and promoted again at
her company. She has launched new ventures for the organization, boosted growth
at established operations, and turned around divisions that were lagging. Despite
her achievements, it looked as if she would never get a chance to realize her
ambition of running the whole show. That chance finally came two months ago,
when she became CEO of a world-renowned organization. Was she ready?
Absolutely. Her years of hard work had prepared her to leave the security of her
job and step up to a new challenge. She was willing to make sacrifices for the
opportunity, including relocating her spouse and family halfway across the country.
A less ambitious person would have been unready to act -- and, as a result, would
have missed her chance.

It's never too late to realize your ambitions. Take the first step by daring to dream
big dreams. Then have the confidence to take a few risks and make those dreams
a reality. You'll be glad you did.

Don MacRae is president of the Lachlan Group in Toronto, Canada. He has taught
and worked with corporate leaders for the past 25 years. You can reach him at
don@lachlangroup.com or visit his Web site at www.lachlangroup.com