RAW AMBITION RUBS PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY

We all know people who have established impressive careers on the basis of raw ambition. Their focus is directed one way: upward. As I've observed people like this throughout my career, I can tell you that this type of drive is usually unsustainable. When these people finally claw their way up to the top, they have too few allies to support them, and many more people who would love to see them fail. Lacking genuine humility, they're the ones who get swelled heads and who actually believe that they are better than everyone else. They forget who they are and where they came from. As soon as someone tells them, “You're so great,” you can see in their eyes that they are convinced that it's true. They tell themselves (and sometimes other people as well), “Yes, I am fantastic. In fact, I'm remarkable. I can't even remember the last time I made a mistake.” Perhaps they were always this way (although why would other people tolerate this behavior?), or maybe they changed at some point and began to believe that they were more special than everyone else.

The downfall for these people often comes when they need help. Their colleagues, peers, and direct reports aren't motivated to help them get ahead. Even if they possessed some information that would keep this person from making an embarrassing mistake, they usually will not go out of their way to call him aside or send a confidential e-mail saying, “You might want to rethink your decision in light of the following ...”

This is a cautionary tale for you as you continue your career ascent. When you remember where you came from—always treating people with respect and never forgetting that you, too, were once a junior team member—people will be far more likely to want to help you succeed.

When you are bound and determined to get promoted, however, it's all about you. In everything you do, you are most concerned with how you are perceived by others while doing it. As you see it, the better their opinions of you, the faster—and higher—you can move in the organization. Because your focus is solely on your own career, you don't devote much time or energy to developing others. And you certainly aren't motivated to share an ounce of credit with anyone on your team. All you care about is being regarded by senior management as irreplaceable to the organization. Being irreplaceable, however, can be a double-edged sword.