4
Employ Realistic Thinking
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.”
—M
AX
D
E
P
REE
, C
HAIRMAN
E
MERITUS OF
H
ERMAN
M
ILLER
, I
NC
.
A
s anyone knows who’s been out of school for a few years, there’s usually a huge gap between a college
education and the reality of the working world. Honestly, early in my career, I went out of my way to avoid too
much realistic thinking because I thought it would interfere with my creative thinking. But as I’ve grown, I’ve
come to realize that realistic thinking adds to my life.
REALITY CHECK
Reality is the difference between what we wish for and what is. It took some time for me to evolve into a
realistic thinker. The process went in phases. First, I did not engage in realistic thinking at all. After a while, I
realized that it was necessary, so I began to engage in it occasionally. (But I didn’t like it because I thought it
was too negative. And any time I could delegate it, I did.) Eventually, I found that I
had to engage in realistic
thinking if I was going to solve problems and learn from my mistakes. And in time, I became willing to think
realistically
before I got in trouble and make it a continual part of my life. Today, I encourage my key leaders to
think realistically. We make realistic thinking the foundation of our business because we derive certainty and
security from it.
Why You Should Recognize the Importance of Realistic Thinking
If you’re a naturally optimistic person, as I am, you may not possess great desire to become a more
realistic thinker. But cultivating the ability to be realistic in your thinking will not undermine your faith in people,
nor will it lessen your ability to see and seize opportunities. Instead, it will add value to you in other ways:
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