The Lazy Man's Guide To Ambition
Maren Hogan
CEO of Red Branch Media, a full-service marketing and advertising agency. Speaker, writer, advisor, and #HRTech Investor
Welcome to segment 3 of our 12 part mini-series discussing Red Branch’s company values! Now that you are familiar with what grit and curiosity mean to us at the branch, let’s dive into naked ambition!
For starters, I thought I was very funny with the article title. I’d go as far as saying that has been 2019’s most controversial title yet! Obviously, laziness doesn’t correlate to ambition in any way! In order to be ambitious, you need to motivate yourself and have the deserve to be better than you were yesterday. So stop being lazy and read our individual definitions of how we work ambitiously every day at the Branch!
"Naked ambition is the unabashed determination to do better, to learn more, to be where the market is heading before it gets there. All without apology. There will be mistakes, hurdles and missteps along the way, but the end result will be far beyond what could’ve been accomplished with hesitation and doubt."
– Jeremy
"Ambition to me is a strong desire to move forward and succeed no matter what obstacles one might be facing. It’s showing innovation and becoming a strong asset!"
– Eric
"Naked ambition is fighting against imposter syndrome to do more than you thought you could do."
– Kerry
"Ambition is having the ability to not be happy with your work until it’s perfect. If it means revisions, revise. If it means scrapping the entire project and starting over, scrap it. By stepping outside of your comfort zone, you’ll create something that’s better than what you originally planned."
– Kyle
"Ambition is taking the negatives and turning them positives, flipping the obstacles over and using them as a launchpad and doing whatever else it takes to be the very best. Channeling ambition correctly brings great results and that’s what we’re about at Red Branch Media."
– Shalaina
"There is naked truth and naked aggression, but at Red Branch, we have naked ambition. The 'naked' part represents the blatant momentum and work we put forward to achieve our goals. The 'ambition' represents how we are always striving to reach our goals through our determination and hard work."
– Kristine
"Naked ambition is all about wanting to be better and get things done with zero shame because your purpose means too much to let anything hold you back. For us, that means we will do anything it takes to become the best at what we do."
– Bach
"Ambition is having the desire to successfully complete a task, while also possessing the passion and work ethic to execute on that desire."
– Kaleb
"Ambition is fueled by your thirst for success. We all want to thrive in things we do and that means pushing boundaries, getting outside of your comfort zone and even taking a few losses. Naked Ambition doesn’t always have to be a strength but accepting that you might fail along the way to achieving your goals."
– Molly
"I love those words. Naked Ambition. They’re so striking and reflective of what ambition actually is: the raw desire to grow and strengthen your skills. With naked ambition, there are no ‘good or bad’ lessons learned. The only important factor is the experience and what you learned from it."
– Jimmy
"Naked ambition is the desire and fortitude to be better than the rest. It’s the emotion that drives the Red Branch team our goals every day and our individual motivations that pushes us to try again and again to outdo ourselves."
– Alison
"Ambition is having the drive for success and the willingness and determination to do the work. Here at the Branch, we aren’t looking to keep the status quo. We push ourselves to be the best we can be day in and day out."
– Maggie
"Naked ambition is pushing yourself (and your coworkers!) forward based solely on your own need to be the best of the best. It’s trying something new and innovative before the person next to has even thought about it. It’s setting what seems like out-of-reach goals, and hitting them month after month. It’s what Red Branch Media is all about."
– Anna
"To quote the racing legend, Ricky Bobby, ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’ Ambition is the fire in the furnace that keeps the RBM train rolling. We set our goals high so our only ceiling is the sky. We are determined to be the best every time."
– Nick
"To be ambitious you have to have the desire to achieve something great. Ambition is doing something the person (or competitor) next to you hasn’t done before so you can reach the finish line first."
– Cassie
"Naked ambition is setting your personal bar high even when you know you’ve never achieved that height before. Here at RBM, we push each other to go past or last great achievement. We know that you can do more than you believe you can."
– Madison
"In order to live ambitiously, you need to set your goals sky high. You need to have the desire to be better than you were yesterday, outweigh what you thought you were capable of and achieve success."
– Mackenzie
"Go out and get it. Losing isn’t an option. If we do, we start training. We start learning so it doesn’t happen again. It’s the arrogance without the ignorance. It’s tenacious and all-out. It’s ambitious without defeat."
– Mitchell
"Ambition is being committed to always take the initiative to push ourselves further than we’ve ever gone before. To always strive to do better, be better, and meet each challenge with enthusiasm and determination to overcome until we’ve succeeded in reaching and even surpassing our goals."
– Andrea
"Naked ambition is determination. It’s to get up right after being knocked down and to never quit no matter how bad you may want to. Wanting success isn’t enough, you have to work hard and smart to achieve it. At Red Branch, we work to succeed at everything, and it’s our ambition that drives us to do so."
– Hannah
"Naked ambition is the desire to do something better. It gives us the motivation to achieve our goals through hard work and determination. At Red Branch, we work hard play hard. Everyone supports each other to help achieve goals during the week, that way we can enjoy the weekends and get motivated to go hard again the next week."
– Jessica
"Naked ambition for me is the purpose to aim higher and achieve goals that didn’t seem possible to me. Working at RBM has taught me to reach for goals, big or small, that push me to be the best that I can for myself and for my team. RBM fosters ambition 24/7 so that we can be the best versions of ourselves so that we can help others succeed."
– Tridia
"Ambition is unapologetically striving to be the best. Here at Red Branch we set sky-high goals to encourage ourselves not to settle into a “good enough” mentality. There is always room for improvement at the Branch."
– Jenny
Naked Ambition is just one of Red Branch’s core values. Interested in seeing the other core values? Check them out here.
This article originally published on the Red Branch Media Blog by the Branchers.
About Maren Hogan:
Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer, writer and business builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Founder and CEO of Red Branch Media, an agency offering marketing strategy and outsourcing and thought leadership to HR and Recruiting Technology and Services organizations internationally, Hogan is a consistent advocate of next generation marketing techniques. She has built successful online communities, deployed brand strategies and been a thought leader in the global recruitment and talent space. You can read more of her work on Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and The Red Branch Media Blog.