Ambition, Exposure & Product Leadership: Reflections from a Month working with 150+ Innovators in Tanzania
Introduction
Some of the most succesful Product Leaders & Builders I know are some of the most Ambitious people I know. That says something. If anyone intends to be as successful as they are, then they definitely need to be as ambitious. It's just a No Brainer! Ambition is often described as something you either have or don't. Some people seem born with it, like they woke up one day determined to conquer the world. But is that true? If ambition can be taught or at least nurtured then it holds the potential to transform how we build innovators and product leaders, particularly in contexts like Africa, where untapped potential is everywhere.
This begs the question: What sparks ambition, and how can we nurture it?
For a month, this question followed me every week as I worked across different cities in Tanzania with more than 150+ youth innovators to try and refine their Product & Go-To-Market strategy during UNDP's Funguo Tanzania - Youth Ignite Student Founders Fellowship. The program was designed to move students from curiosity to evidence, ideathons for product discovery, mentorship for rapid feedback, and bootcamps for prototyping. At first, most of these aspiring founders arrived with modest goals and for some viewing their businesses as side-hustles than transformative ventures. By the end of the program, the biggest number was thinking scale. So, what changed? Was this ambition always there, lying dormant, simply waiting for the right conditions to awaken it? Or did it grow because these students were placed in an environment that challenged them to think beyond? Can we replicate this transformation? Could ambition itself be nurtured or even taught?
The Nature of Ambition
To answer this question, we first need to understand what ambition is. Ambition isn't just wanting more; it's the belief that "more" is possible and that you have the capacity to pursue it. It's not about daydreams or fantasies but about seeing a gap between the world as it is and the world as it could be, then striving to close that gap.
The Perspective Trap
But here's the catch: Ambition is limited by perspective. If you've never been exposed to examples of what's possible, it's hard to imagine what you could achieve. For example, a student might dream of building an idea similar to what he's seen around them. They may not imagine building at a certain level of complexity and scale. It's not because they lack intelligence or drive, it's because they haven't been exposed to it. This is where exposure becomes a critical catalyst for ambition.
The Catalyst: Exposure
In my experience, ambition often starts with exposure to new ideas, new people, or new possibilities. For the students in Tanzania, exposure came in many forms: mentors who had worked with successful founders in different industries, peers who dared to think bigger, and hands-on experiences like Ideathons that pushed them beyond their comfort zones. These gave participants a glimpse of what's possible. And once you've seen what's possible, it's hard to go back to thinking small. It's not just about the experiences themselves, but how they reshape our level of ambition. While not everyone has the privilege of travel or global networks, curiously and consistently exploring global trends or joining communities & programs like the Youth Ignite Student Founders Fellowship where ambitious people hangout can simulate this exposure.
Confidence: The Foundation of Ambition
If exposure sparks ambition, confidence sustains it. Without confidence, even the boldest vision remains just an idea. Confidence is the belief that not only is "more" possible but that you are capable of achieving it.
During Ideathon at the Youth Ignite Student Founders Fellowship in Zanzibar - Tanzania, 2024.
During the Ideathons, I saw how small victories like successfully pitching an idea or receiving validation from mentors helped students build this confidence. By the end of the Ideathons, most participants were presenting their vision with conviction and poise. This process of building confidence through incremental wins is critical. Ambition grows when people see evidence that their efforts can lead to tangible results.
Scaling Ambition
So, can ambition be taught? I think the answer is yes, but not in the traditional sense. You can't teach ambition the way you teach math or biology. But you can create environments where ambition is more likely to grow. It's about exposure, confidence, and a culture that celebrates curiosity, problem-solving and risk-taking. For example, experiential programs like the Youth Ignite Student Founders Fellowship, the Startup 101 University Program in Tanzania, or the Catalyzer Program in Uganda, all provide a good framework for nurturing ambition:
Redefining Education
Most educational systems are designed to prepare students for predictable careers. But entrepreneurship & startups is the opposite. It's about challenging assumptions, solving critical problems and embracing uncertainty. If we want to teach ambition, we need to redesign education systems to focus on problem-solving and industry-let experiential learning. Imagine if every university required students to solve real-world (industry) challenges through very hands-on Ideathons regularly. Ambition wouldn't just be an abstract concept; it would be a skill they practiced more often to a point of autonomy.
Normalizing Big Thinking
Finally, we need to normalize ambition. Too often, ambitious ideas are dismissed as "unrealistic." But every transformative innovation, from airplanes to mobile money, was once considered unrealistic. If we want to nurture ambition, we need to create a culture that celebrates big thinking and encourages people to aim higher, even if they don't have all the answers yet.
Conclusion
Ambition doesn't arise in isolation. It thrives in ecosystems that encourage exploration and provide the resources needed to turn ideas into action. In Tanzania, I saw the spark of ambition ignite in students who began with modest dreams and left with bold visions. If we can nurture ambition on a larger scale through programs, stronger ecosystems, and greater exposure, the potential ripple effects we can create is limitless.
Acknowledgments
That said, none of these transformations I witnessed would have been possible without the collective efforts of all the different stakeholders: UNDP's Funguo Tanzania who funded this fellowship, with support from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the European Union, coupled with great implementation from StartHub Africa & Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha, the hosting Hubs & Universities across Tanzania: University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), The State University of Zanzibar, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Mzumbe University, Tengeru Institute of Community Development (TICD), Institute of Rural Development Planning, Institute of Accountancy Arusha, dLab Tanzania, University of Iringa, University of Dodoma. Thanks to everyone involved in different capacities.