There are two essential qualities of leadership. Jack Welch, CEO of
General Electric says that the “Reality Principle” is the most important
of all. What this means is the practice of realism in all things.
Realism is a form of intellectual honesty. The realist insists upon
seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This
objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the
true leader.
Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust to luck, hope for
miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect
rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by
themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a
fantasyland.
The motivational leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are
and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational
leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people
honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth. This
doesn’t mean that you will always be right, but you will always be
expressing the truth in the best way you know how.
The second key quality of motivational leadership is responsibility.
This is perhaps the hardest of all to develop. The acceptance of
responsibility means that, as Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here.”
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