For women, the emergence of flexible, hybrid work models have opened up new job opportunities and new ways to climb the career ladder. According to a new Women at Work survey by Momentive, nearly 50% of women consider themselves “very ambitious” and are optimistic about their post-pandemic career growth. But asking someone, “What does ambition mean to you?” can yield many different answers, depending on who you talk to.

We talked to some of the amazing women here at NextRoll and asked this very question. Whether it was stepping outside of your comfort zone or consciously creating a life that you love, every response connected to a longer-term purpose. The takeaway? Defining your ambition is one thing, but how you use it to design your own career path, and the impact it has on the process that gets you there, is another thing.

Here are their words of wisdom:

“Ambition is challenging the status quo, always delivering my best, and leading with purpose. This resonates with me specifically because I know when I apply these things, I can achieve anything I put my mind to. For example, my ambition is what motivated me to take the leap from a career in HR/Payroll into Sales. Not only did Sales align more closely with my personality, but it  allowed me to learn more aspects of an organization – such as Marketing, Finance, and Accounting.”

-Melina Owusu, Manager II, SDR for RollWorks, a division of NextRoll

“Ambition means always aiming higher. It’s about always striving for higher achievement and pushing the boundaries. This can mean challenging people about the status-quo, and remaining resilient when people think you can’t keep moving up. It’s about after each achievement asking yourself, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ 

-Serena Patel, Manager I, Account Management for AdRoll, a division of NextRoll

“For me, ambition is about setting tangible goals and reaching them through hard work and determination. It’s not just about marking a goal as accomplished or completing a project through. I’m definitely driven by intrinsic motivators and I like to know that I’ve made a positive difference or added value to something that I’ve worked on. While it’s always great to be recognized and rewarded with a new job title, or pay rise, ambition to me is being able to work on projects that I genuinely am curious and passionate about and there is a sense of purpose to what I’m doing. It’s also about stepping outside of my comfort zone and being more vocal about what I want or need in order to succeed. This is not something that comes naturally to me but as I’ve grown in my career I’ve gained more confidence in navigating.” 

-Jessica Lawlor, Senior Product Manager at NextRoll

“Ambition is a personal trait that drives you to reach higher and is fueled by your determination, grit, and confidence. Throughout my career, I found myself mulling over trying to move into different departments and in hindsight I should have gone for it sooner, but I don’t think my confidence was quite there yet. You can have really big goals and a really strong work ethic but you also need to have the self-confidence to “go for it,” which is something I still have to remind myself of!”

-Julia Panopoulos, Senior Product Manager for AdRoll, a business unit of NextRoll

Are you ready for a career that encourages your personal and professional growth and provides the resources to help you thrive? Learn more about how we support ambitious women on our Start Strong. Finish Stronger. site.