Influential Leadership, Idealism and Being Ambitious

On regular occasions I face questions that suggest influential leadership is idealistic, and by implication that it does not belong in the so-called real world.

The context of these questions is often predicated on the underlying assumption that ‘we should live in the real world, and work with what we have in the way the world is, not how it could be or should be.’ The subtext is that the real world is tough and demanding and zero-sum based; it is dog-eat-dog.

Here is my answer.

Influential leadership is idealistic if we define it as social behaviours that are values-based, inclusive, future oriented and have the objective to improve people’s lives.

Furthermore, contrary to the ‘real world-ists’, it is much more demanding to influence and shape the current ways of doing thing into something better, than just going along with current practices. There is truly little resistance to those who maintain the way things are, but great opposition to those who push to change things. There is enormous inertia to affect change, and it takes much effort by a few people to do so. Throughout history until today, it is those who push the current reality into new directions that have been and are the toughest and most robust. Catalysts for change have been burned at the stake, crucified, guillotined, jailed, pilloried, exiled and ridiculed.

Proper leadership is not for the fainthearted.

Think about every sea-change in human history; clothing, fire, food cultivation, food storage, animal domestication, shelter construction, the wheel, implements, early migration, democracy, writing, medicine, art, music, abolishing slavery, women’s enfranchisement, science, and we can go on.

These are all functions of ‘idealists’ who looked at the real world and said, we can do better than this!

We can contrast idealism with its antithesis by way of a political concept that represents it well, namely, ‘realpolitik’. We will amend it to fit a mis-leadership social context once we define it as follows (Britannica):

Real_leadership is based on practical objectives rather than on principles. It is leadership as things are; the people in charge in in charge, they are the leaders… Real_Leadership is a pragmatic (expedient) no-nonsense (dictatorial) approach that disregards ethical (value) considerations. In leading it is often associated with relentless pursuit of personal interest.

And, here is the influential leadership version:

Influential leadership is based on the philosophy that we are all better off together. Influential leadership is a no-nonsense practice that is built around sound principles that give expression to our social agency to change things for the better. In leading it is associated with relentless pursuit of outcomes that benefit us all.

Influential leadership is way more ambitious than to be dictated to by the realities of the present. We work in the present, that is our reality, but we keep pushing the boundaries forwards, rather than being comfortable with inertia.

The following material is from an article that defines ‘idealistic people’ according to nine traits. While influential leadership might not align with each point made, it is useful to frame idealists as people who change the way things are, always with an eye on a better future.

Idealistic People

The nine traits and habits that define them.

What is more important, starting from the facts and trying to adapt to it, or setting goals and doing everything possible to reach them? This is a more philosophical than psychological issue, and yet it serves to intuitively know a great truth: there are many ways to relate to our goals.

In this article, we will see what the habits and personality traits of idealistic people are, those that put their visions and their principles above many other things.

Idealistic people are not always easy to recognize, especially in a world where sometimes the scarcity of resources makes it difficult to indulge in great things. However, by paying attention to the details it is possible to recognize certain common signs. Let’s see what they are.

They know their ethical principles better

The vast majority of human beings have a moral code, but not everyone knows it well. For example, it is possible that part of our scale of values is revealed when we have to make a difficult decision, so that until that moment that part of our identity had remained hidden.

However, idealistic people tend to know better the ethical code by which they are guided, because they have devoted time exclusively to establishing their moral and practical priorities in life. Therefore, they are more clear about what they want to achieve, although they do not have to know how they are going to achieve it.

They bet strongly when considering goals

Having [a] relatively clear [idea about] what they want and what they do not want, [idealists] can afford to consider ambitious goals since they do not have to deal with a high risk of fighting for something they do not really believe in.

They are dreamers and want to change society

Normally, idealistic people are not limited to personal purposes, which only concern them. Since they tend to be ambitious when considering goals, they involve many more people or even the entire planet.

They preach with their example

For idealistic people, the important thing is what is done, and not so much what is said. Therefore, they do not limit themselves to trying to defend the ideas related to the defense of the type of society they would like to contribute to building, but they also contribute their example. That means they act in a way that tries to conform to what you would expect from someone who pursues clear goals.

Try to apply ideas to the world, and not the other way around

Idealistic people are [futurists], among other things, because they try to apply certain pure ideas about the imperfect reality that surrounds us all. For example, they will try to apply the principle of truth even in some situations in which telling the truth [might] not clearly benefit anyone, but it does harm to [the few]. In a way, they will act as if the defense of certain ideas modifies reality, favoring the importance of the principle defended.

Many self-imposed norms are followed

As [idealists] cling to their goals, they create standards for various possible situations that can happen in day-to-day [life]. This means that [their] repertoire of norms is quite varied and wide, which has positive consequences, such as the absence of opportunism, and other negative ones, such as the risk of falling into dogmas and lack of strategic vision.

They believe in legitimacy and in the effects of what they do

As we have seen, idealistic people act as “ambassadors” of ideas and “essences”. Therefore, sometimes they only defend their actions claiming that they are legitimate although doing them causes negative consequences [to the old order].

They want to leave a legacy

For idealistic people their own life is a project oriented to leave a positive impact on the world, thanks to the defense of their ideals. It is because of that they like the idea of leaving a legacy that others can enjoy and that, in passing, makes them feel more transcendent.

They feel inspired with ease

Idealistic people tend to find references on which to base themselves since they exemplify the defense of certain values so that it is easy to identify with them.

(Source: https://en.yestherapyhelps.com/idealistic-people-the-9-traits-and-habits-that-define-them-13979. September 18, 2022.)