Leadership Charisma

When an individual begins a particular task, numerous variables come into play; in terms of recruiting followers. When people identify with a certain leader of a cause or an organization, they become intrigued by what that leader has to say, how the message is delivered, and how that mission can be accomplished. Today more than ever with the advances in technology, people are aware of the full exposure of those looking to convey a specific informational message. With technology there is an opportunity for perceptions to be formed bilaterally between the messenger and the recipients of the message.

Now, I do believe that people with special talents can lead without charisma; and I am also arguing that a leader will not be a good leader with only charisma. I believe that other perceptive interpersonal observations are required on the part of a leader to have the skills to make adjustments as he seeks to effect change or hope for something better. There have been lengthy discussions and studies by scholars of human behavior on the issues of charisma and its impact on leadership. Also, is charisma something an individual is born with or can be taught, and if so, how is charisma taught? In all the years of my academic preparation and I must say that it is quite extensive; I have never seen a course on “How to Become a Charismatic Leader.”

Let’s take a closer look at charisma and the role it plays in leadership versus what might be viewed as transformational leadership. From my point of view, transformational leadership sets the trend, in other words, it is the person who can establish a fusion effect to make things happen and leave a lasting impact on the problems of the day. The transformational leader has a plan of action that will manifest as a permanent outcome for problem solving. It is more of a group management approach to executing an agenda; while the charismatic individual is a one-person show.

It is important to note that the charismatic leader comes in various spells; typically multi-talented but not necessarily a boisterous flamboyant individual or one who can dance like Fred Astaire, has the brain of Albert Einstein, the heart of Mother Teresa and is as tough as Rocky Marciano all rolled into one package. Which is pretty obvious; is that charismatic leaders are often well prepared for sacrifice, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, who sacrificed their bodies by fasting for their beliefs. They are usually very self-assured, like the Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt in their team effort to defeat Nazi Germany during World War II. The perseverance of a Ronald Reagan determination to end the cold war and defeat Marxism as written by Marx or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is required to persevere under intense opposition pressure to ratify the US Constitution through the introduction of the Civil Law. Amendment of rights.

All of these leaders demonstrated a high level of commitment, enthusiasm, and hope that many have perceived as charismatic leaders. What many people forget is that many of the leaders mentioned above were extremely humble and highly motivated with a great sense of humility. They all felt that they were fighting for a noble cause and were a combination of charismatic and transformative figures, as many left a lasting impact that changed our world for the better. They were all considerate individuals who were curious to create more leaders and continue the good fight for the betterment of humanity and world peace.

As you can begin to see, charisma emerges when people start to be impressed by the CEO’s actions; for example, Lee Iacocca stepped forward in his campaign to turn around Chrysler and gave himself a $1 annual salary to demonstrate his level of commitment; yes, people were impressed and loved the “charisma” of him.