Ambitious Compassion

In the non-profit world, there's a common saying: "People over projects." To prioritize relationships, well-being, and human connection over an initiative's external deliverables and KPIs sounds great. But what does that actually mean?

People show up when our motivation is compassion. Our care for others will naturally attract more people who are eager and needy for our care. This is inherently selfless: the priority isn't our own satisfaction but rather of others.

Projects come about when our motivation is ambition. Our desire to do something great, something magnificent that outlasts us, will naturally take the shape of a project or initiative. This is inherently selfish: the priority is the manifestation of our ego.

This is a spectrum rather than a dichotomy, and so we need to understand that we need both in order for lasting change to take effect. Neither side should be neglected, but one should be the driving factor behind our decisions.

To be compassionately ambitious is to add a veneer of care in front of blatant self-interest. Instead, we should strive to be ambitiously compassionate. The goal is not to have ambition at our core but rather to center everything we do around compassion.