• Most of us think of ambition as a personality trait – something you either have or don’t. Hugo frames ambition instead as a force that shapes decisions whether we examine it or not.
• Our industry has weathered ups and downs, from recessions to pandemics and near-constant disruption – and that pressure to pick yourself up and go again often means we never stop to ask ‘is this what I really want?’
• Many founders rush to execute before they’ve properly considered what it is they actually want, mistaking momentum for direction.
• Realising your ambition is fleeting: you hit a milestone, feel a brief moment of elation, then disconcertment sets in, and the search for the next target begins almost immediately.
• The value of ambition lies in the journey of getting there, not in the moment of passing through the door – which is why the question of ‘is this what I want’ is hard to consider. Stopping to examine the goal can feel like it threatens the very thing driving you forward.
• A better question is ‘what does better than yesterday actually look like?’ – and, crucially, am I the one driving this, or is a third party (industry norms, peers, inherited expectations) driving it for me?
• It’s worth asking what your goals relate to at this specific stage of your life – both in and outside work – rather than defaulting to whatever the next milestone should be.
• Ambition needs to be managed like endurance, not just fuelled – the marathon parallel is useful for pacing relentless effort rather than burning out chasing it.
• Many of us would have had very different careers had we asked these questions earlier.
• Stop and ask ‘what am I using this drive to create, and will it build a meaningful life for me?’ It’s not to be answered once, but revisited and adjusted continuously as life and work change.
• You can get in touch with Hugo at Magnetic North and buy the book here. 

Our next meeting is on Thursday 17 September at 1.30-3pm BST, and and will incorporate the launch of the DBA In Focus Report 2026 and the DBA’s Annual General Meeting

We’ll be joined by the Chair of the DBA Board, Nicola Tiffany from HMA, for the AGM and then Esther Carder, Partner at Moore Kingston Smith will take us through the key findings from this year’s In Focus Report, the most comprehensive benchmarking report exclusively for DBA Members.