On the other hand, many individuals are merely dewi365, and are willing to always settle for what is offered, without striving for the ideal. This is far more common, and far more dangerous. While the idealist may not achieve his ideals, his “dreams” might still inspire others to reach for something better.
On the other hand, someone who is pragmatic without standing up for “something,” is merely acting as a “populist,” often unwilling to strive for any real improvements. Pragmatists often accept the easy way out – – the path of “least resistance.” They often use fancy reports, techno-jargon, and impressive sounding rhetoric instead of sound reasoning. All this type of pragmatist is interest in is accepting what he considers practical, but in reality is often simply the “lazy way out.”
Pragmatic idealism is standing up for one’s principles and beliefs while striving for perfection, while at the same time creating an action plan to implement the steps necessary for implementation. If one maintains his ideals and remains true to them, it is often necessary to be somewhat pragmatic. Effective individuals realize that action is meaningless if there are no ideals, as opposed to individuals who are merely pragmatic without ideals! Pragmatism causes an effective leader to come up with a step-by-step plan to assure improvements, in a real situation.
Leaders who are pragmatic idealists are generally the most effective. They are often the most driven, clearly knowing what they feel needs to be done. Pragmatic idealists are often unpopular, because the “idealists” are unwilling to “waver” while the “pragmatists” are afraid to make waves. Pragmatic idealists see things as they should be, and sometimes become frustrated by others around them that do not share their vision.
Iealist will prioritize issues, and perhaps sacrifice a less important matter for the sake of getting a more important issue implemented, but will not “settle” on the basic ideal. Pragmatic idealists are generally the most honest, believing that “doing the right thing” is more important than the popular approach. Pragmatic idealists are generally amongst the best at analyzing the ramifications of actions or inactions, because this type of individual has carefully examined an issue according to his “value set.”
