Return on Ambition

Written by Nicolai Chen Nielsen and Nicolai Tillisch

9 September 2020

Return

A Radical Approach to Your Achievement, Growth, and Well-Being

This book won the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal Award and was among the five finalists for the GetAbstract International Book Award.

Nicolai Tillisch is a colleague at Cultivating Leadership, while Nicolai Chen Nielsen was previously a consultant at McKinsey & Company and is now independent.

Their motivation for writing the book came from the observation that executives’ ambitions tend to limit their effectiveness as leaders. Their striving for success hurts the chances that they will succeed and thrive.

The title emerged from the two Nicolais’ finding that 43 percent of ambitious people doubt their efforts will pay off. Metaphorically speaking, that is almost like betting decades of work on red in a single round of roulette at the casino.

The book substantiates possibilities for succeeding better in a sounder and safer way. It presents analyses and options which build on extensive research and experience from the practical application of ideas.

The language used invites any ambitious adult to read. Plenty of case stories carry the reader forward. A simple, practical toolbox offers suggestions for what to do in practical terms.

It remains an insightful source for executives and HR professionals seeking inspiration for how to support ambitious people in achieving, growing, and being well.

Published by Fast Company Press