I was walking home passing the peaceful squares in Islington after an excellent performance of Richard III with Ralph Fiennes as Richard and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Margaret at the Almeida Theatre. Fantastic talent, brilliant ambition put together in a performance and production that was totally Shakespearean and contemporary in every breath.
Inspired by the play, its longevity and total relevance today, on my walk home I thought again about the question asked in The Inventory in FT Magazine’s weekly,”Ambition or talent: which matters more to success?
As I wandered towards home my thoughts wondered in their usual diverse directions. How privileged I was having the opportunity to watch such great theatre elegantly executed by a brilliantly talented and ambitious cast, production team and theatre. With the play and contemporary news mixed up in my head I reflected on how top talent and ambition can manifest itself in both good and bad ways, with different outcomes and results depending on purpose and drive. However talented and ambitious we are without tenacity and clarity of how to act, our ambition and talent might not achieve what we wanted or planned. We often need a bit of luck too. Without luck like with most things in life it just doesn’t happen to you. It’s about you being alert, sensitive and courageous in picking it up… I was home, picked up my keys and unlocked the front door.
A few days later I put the question “Ambition or talent: which matters more to success” to my strategic partners in London and in Stockholm: “What is most important talent or ambition?”
Colin (Crone from konstruct.net) responded “I think they are both equally important. They complement each other. Talent is pushed by ambition while ambition is fed by talent.” I then asked, what is your talent? “Tough question, we all have more than one talent, for me there are the technical hard skills and then the intuitive soft skills that help me help others. Technical skills, general all rounder (see the suitable solution for a practical problem). A soft skill is to just understand the emotional issue (which is not always there) behind a problem and being able relate to the client”. I said, I believe that is of absolute value, being able to combine technical skills with the ability to listen and hear the question behind the question, the problem behind the problem. Combining technical expertise with creative force and sensitivity for sustainable, smart and excellent results. “I know you can”, I said, “from experience working with you and from clients.” Colin is the creator of my refreshed website including an excellent upgrade of the illustration “In the Eye of the perfect storm” that elegantly demonstrates the essence of how Human Leadership works and its key ingredients.
In the eye of the perfect storm > Listen, learn and communicate
On my question “what is your ambition” the answer was –“To have choice. I mean that I can select the projects and clients and time. To date I am long way off that.” “Perhaps less of a long way off than you think”, is my response.
From Sanna and Niklas (Palmklint, palmklint.se) in Stockholm the response to my ambition and talent question came loud and clear
Sanna:”Ambition is most important. If you have talent but no ambition to become successful is more difficult. But certainly if you meet the right people… a large dose of luck can also work. However, I believe that ambition is the natural fuel to reach your goals. The will must be there.”
Niklas:”Without ambition help’s no talent in the world. Or?”
I first met Niklas in 2013 introduced by a client. Soon after I was introduced to Sanna. And the rest is history, as we say. Sanna and Niklas work together as a brilliant team creating visually excellent brand identities, visual stories and portraits in a demanding professional and commercial world and environment.
On my question about talent Sanna responded “My talent is my imagination, I can freely see things in a different way. I can create exciting environments and situations in my work as a visual communicator. Identify new trends before they arrive” Sanna said with a smile.
Niklas, the seasoned photographer, said, “When someone says they never look good in photos, that triggers me to show that everyone can and will look good when I am the photographer.” “I know”, I responded, “and I have seen you at work.”
And so to ambition – what were their ambitions? For Sanna, “to do good business and to get support from others to make me become more focused, increasing my self-confidence. I want to have fun, be passionate about my assignments, and create interesting platforms working with various creative assignments in the Nordic region and in Europe. It is about act and can do, life is here and now.”
Niklas ambition “to do such a good job that the customer will return. Also, doing my own projects and having fun at work.”
It was Sanna and Niklas who made sure the photos of me on the website communicate so much more than just being a pretty picture.
Working together, formally, informally, in teams and alone, in different constellations across borders and cultures, professional and community cultures, is becoming more and more possible. Achieving maximum flow demands respect and understanding of what drives and motivates us as individuals and teams.
Asking about talent and ambition in different environments I am discovering is a fruitful exercise. It opens doors to new knowledge, conversation, understanding and reflection. A simple tool reminding us of whom we are and what we want, stay grounded, focused, excited and inspired.
So – what is your talent? What is your ambition?
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