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Amina AlTai is an executive coach, leadership trainer, and chronic illness advocate. She has partnered with companies such as Google, Snap, Outdoor Voices, Chief, and Roku, and been featured in goop, Forbes, Well+Good, NBC, CBS, and The New York Times. She is an Entrepreneur Magazine expert-in-residence, Forbes contributor, and was named one of Success Magazine’s Women of Influence. Whats the big idea? The Ambition Trap gives you greater permission to reclaim ambition on your own terms. Most of us think ambition means doing everything in our power to get what we want, but this approach comes at the price of health, well-being, and upholds oppressive systems. Ambition itself is not a dirty wordwe can renegotiate unhealthy assumptions about ambition to engage with it in meaningful and restorative ways. To escape the trap of an endless cycle of overwork that is never enough, ambition must be anchored in our purpose rather than our pain. Below, Amina shares five key insights from her new book, The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living. Listen to the audio versionread by Amina herselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App. 1. We need to redefine ambition. Most of us only know ambition in a dysfunctional sense: a relentless desire to succeed, regardless of the cost. For me to win, someone else must lose, we think. But thats not ambition. Ambition itself is natural and neutral. In its purest form, its a desire for more life. Its a wish to unfold, evolve, and flourish. Grass wants to grow; trees like to stretch toward the sun; we all want to thrive. The essence of all living beings is to be motivated for more, and as humans, were the only species that has a choice in how we direct that advancement. So, we must be great stewards of it. Things go sideways when our striving begins to cost us and others health, relationships, peace of mind, and sense of self. This isnt ambition in its neutral, natural form, but in its most painful. 2. There are two types of ambition. Though ambition in and of itself is neutral and natural, there are two ways we usually see it unfold. It can either be painful ambition or purposeful ambition. Painful ambition is the voracious desire to advance, regardless of the costs. Painful ambition has a few trademarks: Unaware of the systems that shape us A narrow mindset Driven to win at all costs Focus on individualism and hoarding power Instrumentalization of yourself and others Toxic positivity Self-imposed urgency Most of us believe that embodying these characteristics means were being ambitious. But were actually displaying painful ambition. Painful ambition is driven by our core wounds. According to Lise Bourbeau, those wounds are rejection, abandonment, humiliation, betrayal, and injustice. For each wound we have, we wear a corresponding mask. A rejection wound wears the mask of avoidance. A betrayal wound wears the mask of control. Every one of us emerges from our formative years with an injury of the psyche. Its a human right or passage, even if you come from the best family in the world. When ambition is built upon that wound, its a house of cards. Painful ambition is driven by our core wounds. When we operate from a place of purposeful ambition, growth is no longer driven by a stinging wound. Instead, weve tapped into our intrinsic purpose and are living in a way that has a positive impact on ourselves and the world around us. Weve stopped trying to make life happen to compensate for our pain and instead are unfolding from a place of wholeness. Purposeful ambition has a few hallmarks: Questioning systems that shape us An expansive mindset Driven by purpose Focused on collaboration and using your gifts to help the world Honoring your needs Contentment-based Take aligned action Stepping into purposeful ambition might feel like meeting yourself for the first time. Many of us unknowingly construct our whole lives around our wounds; in fact, were often celebrated for them. If we didnt take a physical, emotional, or spiritual hit for it, we would likely keep hiding behind them. If I didnt have a health crisis early in my career, I may have kept going the way that I was: overworking from a place of not-enoughness. This hit is the universe inviting us into a new way of beingits a way of saying Stop. What youre doing isnt working anymore and likely never worked in the first place. This is the moment when we get to put the mask down and peel off the layers of protection. This is when we get to heal that inner child so we can build our lives from the fullness of our true selves versus living and leading from an aching wound. This right here is where circumstances change for the better. 3. Identity and ambition are deeply intertwined. Ambition doesnt exist in a vacuum. It is shaped and constrained by identity. For those from historically underrepresented communitieswomen, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled folksambition is often a double bind. On the one hand, society expects you to prove yourself. On the other hand, the moment you express visible, unapologetic ambition, youre often punished for it. This is whats known as the ambition penalty: the social, economic, and reputational cost that underrepresented people often face for simply wanting more. A woman asking for a raise may be seen as aggressive. A person of color expressing a bold vision might be called intense or not a culture fit. A disabled entrepreneur with high aspirations may be met with patronizing doubt. These arent personality flawstheyre systemic dynamics that uphold power imbalances. This is whats known as the ambition penalty: the social, economic, and reputational cost that underrepresented people often face for simply wanting more. The Ambition Trap unpacks how these messages are internalized, leading many to either overperform to gain approval or suppress their ambition entirely to stay safe. Ultimately, reclaiming ambition is more than a personal actits a cultural intervention. When those most marginalized are empowered to define and pursue their ambitions on their own terms, the entire system begins to shift. 4. Its not about renouncing ambition, but allowing ambition to come from innate gifts. Many of us are taught to either chase ambition at all costs or reject it altogether, especially if weve felt its toll on health, relationships, or sense of self. I believe that for ambition to be nourishing, not punishing, it needs to center on our gifts. To work in a way that feels like a salve for the soul, expresses who weare, and makes the change we want to see in the world, we need to leverage the best of us. We all have a unique form of brilliance, a rare talent or ability that is specific to us and that we came to this planet to share. For some, its power skills like deep listening, empathy, and communication. For others, it might be a more tangible skill, such as playing the trombone or excelling in physics. I coach some of the most legendary humans, from Olympic gold medalists to game-changing founders and leaders. There comes a moment in almost every session when my client inevitably says, Im not a genius or gifted at anything. A lot of us are taught that genius is for a select few, but I believe thats a patriarchal myth that supports some people and aids in the oppression of others. When we bring our brilliance to the world, we can finally drop the hustle and grind and work with our natural flow. We all have a unique form of brilliance, a rare talent or ability that is specific to us and that we came to this planet to share. Another benefit of owning our gifts is that it takes us out of the scarcity mindset. When we believe that genius is reserved for the select few, we fight to compete and be seen. But when we realize we all have unique and exceptional abilities worth sharing, its clear that there is no competition. We are all in service to one another, and no one is above or below anyone else. 5. Ambition is cyclical. One of the challenges in the way weve come to be in relationship with ambition is that we believe it has a never-ending upward trajectorythat its more for mores sake, all the time. More money, more power, more achievements. This approach is expensive for ourselves and the planet. Ambition is about cultivation, pacing, replenishing, nurturing, resting, and growth. Ambition goes in cycles, like a perennial flower. It starts with a seedling of desire: I want to grow. We nurture and water that desire by nurturing ourselves. We pace our growth, and inch by inch we rise. We become as tall as we can in each moment, based on our inner and outer states. Our gifts come into full bloom, and we have a seasonal peak. Its glorious. And then the winds shift, and we feel we can grow no more. So, we pause, slow down, and go back underground to prepare ourselves for another season. The cycle repeats over and over again. One of the most important aspects of this reframing of ambition is that it isnt a solo sport. A race to the top alone is a race to the bottom. Ambition is not just about maximizing individual potential. We must work for and lean on each other if we want to live in healthier cultures. We must be riding the waves of cyclical ambition together. Encouraging each other to lean into seasons of growth and seasons of rest. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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Anyone who claims they havent felt the seductive pull of social plans interrupting their focus at work isnt being completely honest. Its something we all succumb to, especially in the summer months when nearly half of employees admit to feeling less productive at work. The lure of longer days, vacation plans, and social distractions can send managers into a spin about delivering at reduced capacity and facing a seasonal slowdown in outputs. But the summer holidaze isnt a threat to workplace performance. Its an opportunity. Tightening deadlines or demanding more in-office time might seem like solutions to keep teams in shape over summer. But they often backfire, fueling burnout, presenteeism, and resentment that lingers long after summer fades. Instead, smart managers use this time to rethink how work gets done. Leaders who embrace the summer rhythm, seek opportunities to innovate, and improve processes can unlock new ways to boost team morale and productivity. By shifting the focus from hours logged to outcomes delivered, leaders can create agile, resilient teamsand drive productivity well beyond August. Consider the following tool kit for turning the summer holidaze into a season of smart, sustainable success. What are you working with? Start with your most valuable resource: people. To manage effectively during the summer months, keep clear, accessible records of whos in and out of office. This allows you to set realistic expectations and plan accordingly when operating at reduced capacity. Pair this with a smooth handover process to ensure ongoing momentum, even when team members are away. Encouraging staff to spread their vacation time across the yearrather than clustering it in summercan help avoid bottlenecks. It also supports long-term well-being: research shows that workers who dont evenly space paid time off take an above average number of sick days in a typical year. By contrast, taking regular breaks leads to happier and more productive workers who are at lower risk of burnout. Understand your power tools Summer is an ideal time to rethink the tools that drive productivity. If you havent already, consider establishing a clear AI usage policy that guides employees on safe and responsible use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Large language models are great at streamlining repetitive tasks, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value strategic and creative work, which can be invaluable when operating with a skeleton team. But these tools are most effective when deployed consistently, confidently, and strategically. This is something a clear internal policy and robust AI training can support. Own the summer Lets face it: summer can be inherently disruptive. With people in and out on leave and children off school for the holidays, project timelines can slip and energy levels dip. Instead of resisting the seasonal rhythm, smart managers lean into flexibilityand still get great results. Companies like Pfizer, IBM, and Viacom are among the many companies offering staff summer hours, early-finish Fridays, or added autonomy over working hours during the summer months. These approaches dont just boost morale, theyve been shown to significantly improve overall well-being and employee experience. Balance increased flexibility with intentionality on work days. If youre running with a leaner team, get ruthless about your priorities. Decide what really needs to happen, communicate it clearly, and give your team the space and support to deliver. Effective planning beats reactive overwork every time and will enable you to do more with less. Soft-reset September No matter how old we get, September still carries that new school year energy. For working parents, it often marks the end of summer chaos and the return of routine. For everyone else, its a natural opportunity to reset. Use the summer as a low-stakes testing ground. Test out new ways of working with AI, pilot bold productivity strategies, trial half-day Fridays, explore streamlined workflows that cut out unnecessary admin. Then, come September, take stock. What worked? What didnt? What should stay? A thoughtful summer sets you up for a sharper, more focused fall. Turn it off and get outside At the heart of summer productivity is rest. All too often, employees dont get enough of it. Initiatives like summer hours are only effective if people truly disconnect. If staff are logging off at 3 p.m. but back online at 9 p.m., the benefits are lost. Thats why a formal “Right to Disconnect” policy matters. It encourages genuine rest, reinforces boundaries, and shows staff that their time off is respected. This only works when its modeled from the top. Leaders who visibly unplug over the summer give their teams permission to do the same. Ultimately, productivity and well-being arent at oddstheyre interdependent. A summer spent optimizing for both builds a team thats energized, resilient, rested, and ready to take on the months ahead.
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Last month, my friend Amy, a mid-level marketing manager at a Fortune 500 company, had her entire junior analyst team “restructured.” Why officially? “Strategic realignment.” Reality? AI tools now handle what used to be three full-time positions. Amy isn’t alone in this new reality. AI has eliminated 76,440 jobs in 2025 alone, and 41% of global employers plan to reduce their workforce in the next five years due to AI automation. But, you don’t just lose your current job when this happens, you lose the corporate ladder you were climbing. The relationships you made and the personal career brand you built that led to promotions and growth are gone. The Career Ladder is Breaking (and No One’s Talking About It) We are currently experiencing changes in the job market that we have never seen post-industrial revolution, specifically in Big Tech. Big Tech reduced hiring new graduates by 25% in 2024 compared to 2023. Simultaneously, they increased hiring professionals with 25 years of experience by 27%. How can you pay your dues, learn, and build your career when there are no entry-level positions to be had? This paradox is becoming more and more common in today’s workforce; companies want someone with experience, but there are fewer and fewer positions that allow an employee to gain experience. This sea change feels different. The past 35 years have given us more rapid change than at any time in history. The speed at which technology has advanced has placed us in the dot-com boom, the mobile phone revolution, and the cloud transformation. AI isn’t just changing what we do and how we perform, it’s eliminating the steps we traditionally started with to learn, grow, and develop our soft and hard skills to build a foundation for a career. Speed and Efficiency Now, Devastation Later The entry-level people who filled the office floor, built a unique and diverse team, and brought life and energy into the office are now being phased out. AI does what they did faster and AI doesn’t take sick days or need health insurance. Lawyers who have just passed the bar, learning the basics of a profession via document review? That process is now automated. The new generation of the workforce feels a risk when investing in a four-year degree. A study from the World Economic Forum revealed that 49% of US Gen Z job hunters believe AI has reduced the value of their college education. What will this lead to in 1015 years, as people with experience and knowledge begin to retire and fewer people are qualified to assume those roles? Another question: for those of us in the midst of a career, how do we advance when the ladder that was once just a few rungs up is chopped off and thrown in a corporate fireplace? Companies Currently Solving the Problem When studying organizations meeting these changes head-on and winning, I’ve seen a few commonalities. They dont simply cut costs to cut costs. They are fundamentally reimagining how work gets done. For example: British Columbia Investment Management Corporation BCI increased productivity by 10% to 20% for 84% of their Microsoft Copilot users while increasing job satisfaction by 68%. This resulted in saving more than 2,300 person-hours with automation. This was accomplished not by simply implementing AI, but by the way they redesigned workflows around human-AI collaboration. Daiichi Sankyo Within a month of building their internal AI system (DS-GAI), over 80% of employees reported improved productivity and accuracy. They’re using AI advancements not to replace current employees, but to augment their capabilities. These are the types of approaches any company looking to implement AI and automation can work into their deployment project plans can follow. How can they foster increased human-tech collaboration? How can they make their current team more productive and take the business to levels previously unattainable? People Ahead of the Curve The good news is, there are plenty of professionals who are thriving during these days of upheaval and transition. For the most part, these people are taking three common approaches to find ways to use AI to their advantage. They orchestrate with AI Successful people I know dont fight AI, they teach themselves how to direct it and use it to their benefit. They understand that humans will always be in charge of technology. With that knowledge, they can position themselves as the conductor with an orchestra of AI at their command. They Focus on Uniquely Human Skills Develop and hone the skills that AI amplifies. Humans will be freed to build creative problem-solving, strategic thinking, relationship-building processes, and guidelines. When AI is deployed to do all mundane repetitive tasks, these skills are where humans must thrive. They Position Themselves at the Intersection The future will be written and commanded by individuals who bridge the unique creative minds of humans with the efficiency, accuracy, and speed of AI. What is the common thread of these three points? How you use AI to your advantage. You can stand on the beach and scream at the coming tidal wave or grab a surfboard and teach yourself to ride that wave. Those who choose the latter path will be those who run the world. The World We Know is on Deaths Door The truth we all must face today is that 20252026 will be the year companies prepare for a generational change in how we work with AI. This will disrupt nearly every industry. Org charts will be completely rewritten or scrapped entirely. But remember that you can make a difference and influence this change by simply preparing yourself as I have laid out in this article. The choice is no longer whether AI is for you, the choiceis how you decide to leverage AI to your benefit. Weve seen this before; I remember people pushing back against using computers, people pushing back against using email, people pushing back against cellphones. Pushing back against AI today is precisely what those people did. The professionals who embrace this change and use AI as a tool for advancement will be the ones who write the org charts of the future. Start today. Your future self will thank you.
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