Unapologetically Ambitious

The title of the book grabbed my attention at the first go itself and I immediately decided to get a copy to read it. Moreover, having known the author, Shellye Archambeau for a while, I was looking forward to imbibe lessons learnt from her career journey, recalling my exhilarating stint at MetricStream, where she led as the CEO. During her tenure, MetricStream successfully pivoted to a Platform model and scaled to become one of the market leaders in the GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) space. I still recollect numerous late night / early morning calls, deeply engaged conversations with Products, Services, Support teams while working on client problems and dashing off to take a flight to the other coast, on a day’s notice, all in the pursuit of client delight.

While reading the book, the first thing that struck me was that it makes no qualms about going for your most ambitious goal in a strategic and planned way from the get-go. Shellye mentions in her book that she had her sight on the top job in a corporate, right from the high school days and she navigated the course of her journey with a clear plan and adjusting it on the way, as necessary. Talk about long term vision and a plan !

The book has several life and career lessons in pages after pages and it imparts wisdom in a capsule format, that is easily digestible. Each chapter heading succintly outlines the key idea, which can also double as the key takeaway for the readers. It also outlines strategies and practical tips to deal with setbacks and challenges which are inevitable at times and how to navigate those tough terrain with self-determination and strong mindset. The book is written in a story-telling format and is an easy, pleasurable read.

After reading the book, I have tried to distill some of the key takeaways that resonated with me, in terms of skillsets to be cultivated if anyone is shooting for the top role in an Organization -

• Developing a clear vision of your career and a long term plan that aligns with the vision
• Focus and self-determination
• Taking Risks strategically, understanding the worst case scenario
• Think in terms of choices and trade offs, not sacrifices when confronted with a fork in the road
• Building a reputation
• Art of asking and telling people what you want
• Network building and nurturing mentors relationship
• Delegate, as appropriate
• Art of Swerve, when faced with obstacle. (just like, while driving motorcycle). Also, learn to let go what you can’t control ..stay flexible
• Life wisdom — live with no regrets