A leader with ideals always strives but never arrives.
Anne Frank wrote, “It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
Ideals are unreachable perfections. Excellence is always a pursuit.
An “Ideal” Leader
Ideals make demands.
An ideal shows the way. Integrity means winning isn’t everything. Blame shifting is unacceptable. Taking responsibility is essential.
Ideals expose inadequacy. Gaps lead to humility. Growth follows. Anyone with room to grow is inadequate.
Leadership apart from standards leads to arrogance. The ends justify the means.
7 Leadership Ideals
#1. Truthfulness
- Readiness to lose approval.
- Willingness to be disliked.
- Acceptance of being misunderstood.
#2. Integrity
- Aligning with moral excellence.
- Walking away from advantage that causes harm.
#3. Mastery
- Commitment to repetition.
- Openness to appear incompetent.
- Tolerance of boredom.
#4. Courage
- Confronting fear.
- Patience in the face of embarrassment.
- Admitting the possibility of failure.
#5. Service
- Sacrificing the seductions of ego.
- Using status to elevate others.
- Giving headlines to people who do the work.
#6. Self-respect
- Setting boundaries.
- Saying no.
- Refusing easy compromise.
#7. Endurance
- Staying steady without immediate payoff.
- Ignoring purposeful pain.
- Facing doubt from outsiders and even yourself.
Questions
- What am I currently doing that costs?
- What comfort am I willing to lose?
- What would I still pursue if no one noticed?
- What have I sacrificed in the last year?
- What hurts because I refused to quit?
Don’t seek meaning. Pursue ideals.
A meaningful life is guided by costly ideals.
Have you worked for an “ideal” leader?
What is an “ideal” leader like?
The Elimination of Humility in Leadership (Sarcasm)
Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on Life’s Ideals by William James
