'Ambition is now more nuanced, and employers need to start reimagining what employees are looking for,' says academic
Shopify's president, Harley Finkelstein, recently highlighted what he calls Canada’s “600-pound beaver” problem—essentially a lack of ambition that he sees as hindering the country’s economic growth and startup ecosystem.
He stressed the need for a cultural shift toward a more ambitious mindset that champions business growth and retention in Canada.
While his comments sparked discussion and support from key figures like Minister François-Philippe Champagne, there is a deeper context to understanding Canada’s perceived ambition gap.
Jason Walker, program director and professor of industrial organizational psychology at Adler University in Vancouver, provides insight into why this perception may be less about a deficit of ambition and more about the evolution of Canadian workplace values.
Walker argues that the idea of Canadian workers lacking ambition is rooted in a misunderstanding of what ambition looks like today.
“Corporate Canada needs to catch up on understanding and adapting to a societal shift, which has redefined ambition,” he states. He explains that younger generations prioritize a balance of life and social impact over traditional notions of career advancement. In his view, ambition is not diminishing; instead, it is transforming.
Redefining ambition: the generational perspective
To understand this shift, Walker points to differences in generational values.
“Ambition is now more nuanced, and employers need to start reimagining what employees are looking for—especially the younger generations that are focused on purpose, values, and meaningful work,” he says.
Unlike baby boomers and gen X, who often pursued job titles and financial growth, millennials and gen Z seek flexibility and impact. According to Walker, “working people to the bone, expecting people to be dialed in 24-7, and having people work 11 months a year just doesn’t cut it anymore.”
These generations, raised in a digital and increasingly interconnected world, view success through the lens of autonomy and purpose. The onus, therefore, falls on employers to adapt their strategies to align with these values.
“Employers are notoriously terrible, generally speaking, at customizing career paths based on individual growth,” says Walker, adding that while traditional career trajectories were viewed as straight paths, today’s employees expect varied routes that accommodate diverse goals and lifestyles.
Why flexibility is key for Canadian businesses
Walker urges companies to embrace these evolving expectations by fostering a flexible work environment. He points to the success of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence that adaptability is both possible and effective.
“Enter COVID-19 and the once ‘impossible’ notion that ‘people can’t work from home successfully’—as we now re-write textbooks to demonstrate, in fact, ‘it worked,’” he says.
“Millennials and gen Zs were raised in a tech-savvy world... the question becomes ‘Why aren’t employers using this strength as a way to motivate employees through flexible work arrangements?’” Walker asks. The resistance to change, according to him, is counterintuitive for a business world that prides itself on innovation.
Spotting and nurturing ambition across generations
A key takeaway for organizations is to recognize that ambition varies by generation, and to develop tailored strategies for fostering it.
“Forward-thinking HR teams assess ambition during the hiring process and focus on how candidates align their personal goals with the organizational mission,” he advises. This can be achieved through psychometric testing and behavioural interview questions.
Walker believes that while younger employees prioritize social impact and flexibility, older generations still value leadership roles and financial stability.
“If younger employees thrive on more intrinsic goals such as purpose, mastery, and autonomy, then realign their performance measures to reflect that—and let them ‘get the job done’ in a way that works for them,” he says.
Adapting to the new reality of work
The overarching challenge for employers, as Walker points out, is creating an environment where both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations can coexist. For Canadian companies to remain competitive and foster ambition, businesses need to rethink traditional measures of success.
“The idea that there is a ‘lack of ambition’ in Canadian workers speaks more to a cultural shift versus deficiency,” he says, emphasizing that organizations should shift their thinking on defining ambition to embrace diverse motivations and performance metrics. This change is essential if companies want to attract and retain talent across generations.
“Finkelstein got it right—ambition needs to be reimagined in Canadian workplaces… [to] one that embraces diverse motivations and redefines success beyond traditional measures.”
