Idealist

Idealistic and highly principled

Visionaries GROUP

Idealist is one of a group of Character Types that we call Visionaries. The Visionaries, in turn, form a group within our overall Character Family as shown right:

CHARACTER SUMMARY

Serious minded and caring, values are just so important to the Idealist whose word is not just a bond but tied in with who they are intrinsically as people. Integrity is the watchword and they will be excellent listeners, patient, supportive and with a strong desire to ‘do the right thing.’ Their perception and sense of perspective means that others will ‘open up’ and they will be seen as the catalyst for making things better. Although quite gentle, softly spoken and preferring to be out of the limelight, the Idealist will work long and hard behind the scenes to maintain harmony but they are also intensely independent - both of thought and spirit - and will be outspoken in their defence of human values, the downtrodden, the oppressed.

The Idealist is honest and trustworthy, exuding integrity and sensitivity, and have a single-mindedness which will see them plan, organise and work tirelessly to achieve their goals. In this lofty pursuit they may be difficult to deflect from their chosen course of action from the standpoint of ‘it’ being a worthwhile cause and having been arrived at by tortuous deliberation, therefore it must be right and the Idealist will ALWAYS do what is right.

As their focus is so much on ‘the bigger picture,’ and their primary drivers their values and the desire to ‘do good,’ sometimes the Idealist will find that reality or factual details get in the way of their lofty ideals, cunning schemes and dreams of a better tomorrow. ‘Facts’ which do not support their ideas or which get in the way of the grand scheme may be ignored in their aspirational desire to reach Nirvana.

Earnest and responsible, the Idealist may be so committed to the cause that other issues take a poor second place. The introvert side means much internal processing and reflection, but once the course of action has been agreed others, who perhaps perceived a quiet inactive individual, may be surprised by just how decisive, energetic and single-minded the Idealist is! The responsible, serious nature of the Idealist also means that they may seem a little serious even when they are not.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE

The Idealist needs more out of a role than just a ‘job.’ They need to feel as if everything they do in their lives is in sync with their strong value systems - with what they believe to be right, and this is a universal principle that others may never get to fully understand. Accordingly, the Idealist should choose a role in which they're able to live their daily lives in accordance with their principles and which is truly meaningful. Although they can happily and loyally follow individuals who are leading in a direction that the Idealist fully supports, they will be unhappy following in any other situation.

• An intuitive understanding for people and situations
• Idealistic and highly principled
• Sensitive and compassionate towards people
• Service-oriented
• Future-oriented
• Constantly seeking meaning and purpose in everything
• A creative and visionary approach to issues
• Intense and tightly-wound, deep and reserved about expressing their true selves

WHAT COMES EASY

Idealists are warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex - likely to seek out and promote authentic relationships. They tend to be perfectionists, and are always striving for ‘the ultimate’ (be that relationship, role in life, career). High integrity and principles drive the Idealist’s life and work and if they find a place (person, role) into which they can invest these they will be loyal, committed and hard-working. They need to feel part of something meaningful otherwise they will tune out and not be the ones who’ll simply tow the party line.

• Warm and affirming by nature, good listeners who are sensitive and concerned for others' feelings
• Good communication skills, especially written
• They take their commitments very seriously
• Very high expectations for themselves and others
• Extremely insightful, often seeing things that are not obvious to others
• An ability to generate all kinds of possibilities - to see the issue from many different angles
• Persistent and hard-working, even in adversity - if its something that they believe in
• A perfectionist, idealistic, they always strive for the best

WHAT NEEDS DEVELOPING

An Idealist is an asset for any organisation, caring, empathetic and seeing possibilities and hope everywhere. However, others may find the Idealist a little deep and even self-indulgent as they rarely articulate their whole reasoning for things and so people may feel there is ‘something missing.’ They are capable of extraordinary achievements but this may negate the mundane issues that are often the ones that keep organisations ticking.

• Being good with practical day-to-day life necessities
• Confronting difficult situations/conflict head on rather than avoiding it
• Lowering expectations of self and others
• Being aware and allowing for how their own style impacts on others
• Accepting solutions and proposals of others and seeing them through
• Ignoring the minutia and taking a more open, broad brushed approach
• Acting more on the spur of the moment, taking decisions with limited information
• Focusing on one or two priorities, ignoring the desire to widen the scope