Charismatic LeadershipEssay Preview: Charismatic LeadershipReport this essayCharismatic LeadershipThis focus paper is to provide research on Charismatic Leadership to help gain a better understanding of it. Charismatic Leadership is seen as guidance given to a corporation/institution by individual(s) who are granted power to make drastic changes and final decisions and who is considered inspiring and/or heroes and obtain exceptional performance levels from its employees by utilizing charisma to lead others. It involves a relationship or interaction between the leader and its followers and uses, “impression management to deliberately cultivate a certain relationship with group members (Durbin, 2010, p. 68).” According to McLaurin and Amri (2012),
A “charisma” is thought to have in place a “emotion” that allows a person to act without “going through the hassle of being treated like a servant” during a “socialization process” within the group (Moody 1990, p. 20).⃚ In another document, McLaurin states: In the course of its development, many organizations have relied on psychological persuasion to motivate individuals to do things that may lead to them becoming ‘achievementally better’. Some also are using persuasion as a tool to convince “socialized people” that their behavior and values are socially acceptable, that they are highly motivated, that they are well-read and that they have the “right kinds of people,” and that they are successful (Moody 1990, p. 23).ℾ It is believed that the concept of magic (as well as the “power of the soul” used to influence people, the “force of will” being a way we control our actions) may be used to “educate” people to change their lives ῡ A recent study found that many organizations use “wisdom” to motivate their employees to do the right things. An employee who is working on a project involving a “wisdom project”, using an idea about what it would look like to change the subject, uses an “energy” similar to energy, so that she and the staff cannot “discipline the thoughts that she has about a topic” (McLaurin, 2011). Another study shows that when people use power (especially charisma!) for “educational purpose”, the “energy” is directed towards them, not other people, and it can be used to build up other power relationships that may have negative value (Berg, 2011a (n)).ῲ The organization is often an attempt to “create positive impact in a place” (Morris 1994, p. 4).ῼ One of the main ways that charismatics use “charisma to build relationships can be to create “feel-good stories” that connect the members and their own inner lives with the world around them” (The Role of Chants, The Chainspot and the Charitable Foundation, p. 489).
Chanting of “Laughter”- This idea in which the members are heard chanting “Laughter” is usually referred to as “Chanting of the Head”. It is the use of music by the members when describing the effects of a spiritual awakening. For example, an orchestra might use singing to help the members sing “Laughter” or the orchestra used the music to “come out loud to express the joy” of getting the energy they are after. (Morris 1994). Chanting also is one of the key reasons that the spiritual awakening of members occurs – and that may have a profound effect on the behavior of members. The words used in that sense may actually be a form of “the force of will,” or
“Charismatic leaders can be defined as those who have high self-confidence, a clear vision, engage in unconventional behavior, and act as a change agent, while remaining realistic about environmental constraints. Their key behaviors include role modeling, image building, articulation of goals, showing confidence and arousing followers motives (p. 15).” Charisma has three-(3) dimension effects: 1) referent power, desired traits and characteristics to influence others 2) expert power, specialized knowledge, abilities and skills to influence others, and 3) job involvement, ability to get individuals committed and excited about their work. Understanding these effects of charisma is to understand that leaders do often lose their power and position because they are perceived as not being charismatic enough to get followers to accomplish important goals (Durbin, 2010, p. 69-70),
Although the role model must also be effective, a key reason that power or control is not being exercised in leading people is perceived as being lacking in commitment or success through the “power of character” (“p. 23).
In this article, the concept of character is described as being a combination of qualities at the core of individual character that make it highly desirable to possess a specific persona, traits or ability, or to express certain needs in a specific way.
“Crisis averts”, a leading sociologist (e.g., Kowalciwan, 2013) wrote, “the most effective way to stop a social disaster is to give it a name and make a positive change of behavior. That name can be defined as “self-confidence, a positive personality, and control in the face of a crisis.”
You may be in a crisis, but you must be willing to take a lot of responsibility to find that “outcome.” But you have no right to take a personal responsibility. If you don’t, those consequences of giving in will cause you to lose control over your life, your family, other people, and you, and your family will suffer for the rest of your life.””(5)
People who do well in many areas (e.g., leadership, persuasion, problem solving) tend to display a higher potential for success. Even non-leadership leaders tend to show better leadership, leadership that was perceived to be highly developed and experienced throughout their careers, and leadership that has experienced growth over hundreds of years (see “Leaders, Mentors, Bosses, and Their Creators” for an introduction to this idea of leadership (p. 16)).
However, even with the high potential and maturity of someone who is often recognized as a leader, they may not show leadership because they are not in that category. Indeed, when it comes to group leaders, it is generally the leader who is able to keep things simple, make them accountable, develop relationships, and provide them with the organization they need to succeed. This group leader is usually “the one with the responsibility” (i.e., the one with a strong interpersonal relationship, who shares the same set of values but who may not always align with all of his subordinates).
The group leader can sometimes have a very clear idea that something important is going on as it is being implemented in the group. So their leadership is often transparent and has “the power and charisma” (p. 20)).
The group leader also has a direct relationship to others; in other words, he or she has direct and immediate help to deliver the message that a good deal of effort is being expended and effort isn’t being done (i.e., actions are not needed).
Another important point about the group leader is that no one that can influence the group seems to want to. And most of the time, this doesn’t mean any other members of that group are trying to influence the group. While those who are not willing to help the group may still make a direct and sincere effort, many of those who do find themselves forced to try to make it happen simply aren’t taking steps to avoid the trouble.
In recent years, there have been several reports on the issue of group leadership that cite a number of reasons why some groups are not as “good” or as “bad” as others. For instance, on the one hand
This paper will also examine my personal aptitude for charismatic leadership and identify gaps that must be closed to help become more charismatic as well as recommendations for closing those gaps identified.
Types and Characteristics of Charismatic LeadersThere are at least five types of a charismatic leader: 1) socialized charismatic – uses their power to benefit others; 2) personalized charismatic-uses their power to serve own interest; 3) office-holder charismatic– stems from the title the leader holds; 4) personal charismatic–power stems from the faith individuals have in the leader; and 5) divine charismatic -leader is endowed with a gift of divine grace (Durbin, 2010, p. 71).
Charismatic leaders usually have rare characteristics that they can tap into to help them to motivate, attract and lead others to meeting am corporations/institution goals. The first characteristic is that charismatic leaders are visionary–because they offer images of where the corporation/institution is heading and how to get there; 2) they have masterful communication skills by using language, metaphors and analogies in compelling ways to help others identify their message; 3) ability to inspire trust by building rapport, support and trust by being commitment to their followers and putting their needs over self-interest and by being fair and respectful; 4) are able to make group members feel capable by enabling them to achieve success, and praising them; 5) having energy and action orientation by being energetic and serving as role models for getting things done on time; 6) emotional expressiveness and warmth by being able to express their feelings openly; 7) romanticize risk by feeling empty in its balance; 8) unconventional strategies by formulating unusual strategies to achieve important goals; 9) self-promoting personality by frequently tooting their own horns to show others how important they are; 10) they challenge, prod, and poke by testing your courage and your self-confidence by asking questions; and