Ambition. What is it?
I’m still not sure if I completely understand why some people succeed and others don’t. After readingTime’s article, “Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely To Succeed: A fire in the belly doesn’t light itself. Does the spark of ambition lie in genes, family, culture–or even in your own hands? Science has answers” by Jeffrey Kluger, I realized that ambition is complicated.

Is ambition limited to certain socioeconomic groups? Is there a correlation between ambition types and higher stress levels? Have B players evolved over time that Alphas? Which groups has more ambition? The super rich or middle class? What can we learn from this perspective on ambition?

According to anthropologist Edward Lowe,

“It’s energy and determination…But it calls for goals but no energy are the ones who wind up sitting on the couch saying ‘One day I’m going to build a better mousetrap.’ People with energy but no clear goals just dissipate themselves in one desultory project after the next.”

Socioeconomics at Work?
Some studies have measured ambition, dividing families into four categories: Poor, struggling but getting by, upper middle class, and rich. “For members of the first two groups…ambition is a luxury. For the rich, it’s often unnecessary. It’s the members of the upper middle class, reasonably safe economically, but not so safe that a bad break couldn’t spell catastrophe, who are most driven to improve their lot. ‘It’s called status anxiety…whether you’re born to be concerned about it or not, you do develop it.” Lowe continues, “I didn’t know the upper middle class is highly motivated compared to the other three groups.”

Alphas vs. Betas: Mirroring Wolves & Chimps
The additional information on research findings on wolves and chimps reflected longer life spans, but her stress levels among in a study of wolves and chimps. The high achievers, dominant animals or alphas lived longer but had higher stress levels. The betas, those who have an appetite for becoming an alpha, often settle contentedly into life as a beta. The primatologist, Waal asserts that,

“The desire to be in a high position is universal. But that trait has co-evolved with another skill–the skill to make the best of lower positions.”

Interesting. What does this mean for workers? We do know that B player fall into three categories:  Recovered A players, Truth tellers, and Go-to managers. See “Managing B Players - How to Manage the Workers that Keep the Trains Running on Time.” Sounds like B players have evolved to live a less stressful life.

Betas in the Workplace
Kluger states, “Humans not only make peace with their beta roles but they also make money from them. Among corporations, an increasingly well-rewarded portion of the workforce is made up of B players, managers and professionals somewhere below the top tier.”The B players are now highly valued, serving the needs of the corporation and the B players. Lowe summarizes ambition with, “Everyone has ambition. Societies have to provide alternate ways for people to achieve.” And there appears to a trend for employers to start valuing betas since they are the knowledge of the company.

What Does It all Mean?
Some people may be naturally ambitious while in other it may not kick into gear until some defining moment or the right situation. Some workers may not want to be in the top tier with the trade offs they would have to make so they settle as a beta. While I’m sure there are lots of circumstances where the poor, just getting by, and the rich are very ambitious, it seems the upper middle class people have the most ambition. There’s no shortage of alphas who have succeed because of their ambition: Oprah, Bill Clinton, Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, Brittany Spears, Tiger Woods, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Vera Wang, Condoleeza Rice, and Sean Combs. Check out Time’s Photo Feature on these ambitious people, click here.

What about Me?
I admit it. I was very ambitious in basketball during grade school, middle school, high school, and college. I played basketball and always seemed to be the captain of the team or co-captain if I was only a 7th grader and sophomore. I bypassed junior varsity, playing on the varsity teams. I was the role model with all the pressure that comes with it. My problem was that I never had a vision of myself beyond basketball. I spent my very early twenties finding that vision, appearing to have no ambition that developed during my alpha performance in sports. Then I met Ethel Lund, the president of the first company that resonated with me. After meeting Lund, I realized that I needed to finish my undergraduate degree and earn a master’s degree. During my time with in this company, I worked part-time and full-time as I completed my undergrad program.

Fits and Starts: Finding My Ambition in My Own Timing
On the other hand, I can be lazy and get distracted, which I effectively performed during my master’s program. I finally kicked into gear again in the last two quarters, performing up to my potential. I kept thinking, “Darn, I need another year to make the most of this. I wasted three quarters.” This was the second time I experienced “laziness” or unfocused energy in my career.

When I was in my first knowledge worker job post-master’s program, I did it again. Laziness set in. I wasn’t focused. I had so much to learn, like learning all the basic knowledge worker tools or just learning product marketing to do my job, but failed to see the importance of these skills until late into the position. However,  I was focused in my second job though. I was able to pick up new skills. The magazines, Fast Company and Business 2.0, were motivating me to be a brand, so I learned to manage myself like one.

Peaks and Valleys?
I’ve spent most of my knowledge worker life in fits and starts. It’s only been in the last two jobs, where my alpha came out again in full force. I was an alpha, then reduced to a beta in one of my gigs. Finally, I’m an alpha again with all the responsibilities that come with it. I’m fortunate to love my work. For me, work is play or like art. I use all the tools I’ve learned over time, constantly updating them and using them more creatively then I did before. I can think in terms of abstract or theory, then get down to the practical or application level. Could it be that my tendency to become lazy, then ambitious, are really peaks and valleys? Laziness is my way of learning to dial it back after sustained periods of high output? I’m starting to think so. Although laziness and B player behavior aren’t the same thing. I still use these two behaviors or states to offset my alphaness.

My ambition means that “I want more,” however; I’m content to accept whatever life brings, as a result of my actions. It’s the freedom to not work for an employer, but in my own company someday. Freedom to work from any city I wish to live in or travel to. I found my ambition and understand what the article is trying to say. Ambition is fluid. It’s an energy. When combined with determination or the right catalyst, it can be powerful and make life more interesting…as long as we can manage our stress, right?

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