Do ambitious people make good leaders? While ambition often drives individuals to pursue leadership roles, there may be a disconnect between the traits that push people toward leadership and those that actually make someone an effective leader.

A study from Stanford examined this question by analyzing 472 executives enrolled in a leadership development program at a West Coast business school in the United States. The participants rated their own ambition, and these scores were then compared with 360-degree leadership assessments, which included feedback from the executives themselves, their managers, peers, and subordinates.

Highly rated

The findings showed that ambitious leaders tend to rate themselves highly in terms of leadership effectiveness. In other words, those with high self-reported ambition also saw themselves as strong leaders. However, the study found no connection between ambition and how effective these leaders were perceived to be by others. Managers, peers, and direct reports did not rate highly ambitious executives as any more effective in their leadership roles than their less ambitious counterparts.

These results suggest that those who strive for leadership positions may be motivated by external rewards like high salaries and social status, and may have a more favorable view of their own leadership abilities than others do. The authors suggest that society might benefit from rethinking how leaders are selected and trained.