Pete Ashby of asaleader.com Talks of Achieving Ambition: Focusing on Your Higher Purpose

(Monday, January 14th, 2013) United Kingdom - Pete Ashby, top UK leadership coach who heads up asaleader.com puts forward the vital question, "Do you ever have those moments in life when you feel that everything that you have done over a considerable number of years has made it possible for you to take on something that you’re about to tackle? You feel good about it and also a tad nervous.”

"For so many top leaders, ambition is one of those issues that tend to go underground; it’s discussed with immediate family and friends and carefully avoided in the workplace.”

"Strange, isn’t it, because one of the few characteristics shared by pretty well all exceptional leaders is an above-average level of ambition. Way above average.”

Host Pete Ashby says: "We all tend to rely on certain phrases about ourselves as leaders that keep us trapped in our familiar comfort zone with little chance of escape.”

"There’s one phrase in particular that I hear time and again. It’s nearly always said in a way that makes clear that change isn’t an option. Five short words and eight letters that can really get in the way: ‘I am as I am.’”

At this point Pete Ashby goes on to say:

"Nowadays, I don’t think this response is good enough. Instead, you need to have more of a conversation with yourself about why you need to justify yourself in this way:

1. Ask yourself which aspects of your leadership style you see as fixed.

2. Then ask whether there are any aspects of your behaviour as a leader that could prevent you from achieving your ambitions.

3. Is your ambition about your sense of higher purpose and putting something back into society?”

Pete, founder of the popular leadership behaviours and styles blog says: "Talking to leaders about their ambitions, I am struck by how higher purpose and social benefit come through so clearly, in ways that are quite natural and unforced. This makes it easier to take ownership of that phrase ‘I am as I am’ in an altogether more positive way.”

“Once you can see the links between your behaviours today and your ambitions for the future, the case for change is so much greater because you are the ambitious leader that you are.”

“He then discusses the value of reducing the gap, saying that: ”Lots of top leaders have this sort of discussion with their mentor or coach and hardly ever with their peers.”

“This is what you will be able to do in Windsor with a group that almost certainly won’t know you, but will know that you are all going through the same sorts of issues and challenges in your minds.”

“I am confident that we will come up with some powerful results that should enable you to reduce the gap between the leader that you are today and the leader of your ambitions.”

To read the full post, and learn more about leadership and achieving ambition, please visit: www.asaleader.com/achieving-ambition/

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