[September 4, 2016] Someone long ago said that the most dangerous type of leader is a person who is a leader but refuses to acknowledge it. People go to them for answers and guidance but are rejected time and again. These are not the most dangerous. Leaders that put people at risk the most – and are thus the most dangerous – are charismatic leaders.
Charismatic leadership, sometimes called transformational leadership, is where the leader’s energy, charisma, and strength of will are the features that inspire devotion and motivation in followers. These leaders are highly influential and confident individuals who hold strong beliefs. Since the 1970s much scientific research has been conducted in this area and the findings are largely consistent.
Well known charismatic leaders include Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and of course many many more. Some were the savior of their country, some the seed to its destruction, but all had one thing in common; they were exceptionally charismatic. But there is a dark side to this type of leader.
Charismatic leaders can themselves grow to be addicted to their own charisma. A variation of the old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely, the charismatic leader can come to rely on the ability as an end unto itself.
Organizations can become addicted to the charismatic leader. Such a leader can be highly successful but can also draw the focus of the organization. Accountability may decline and followers can become overly dependent on such a leader.
My wife was talking to me last night while watching television that both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are too egotistical to be a really good leader. What she was talking about was that both Trump and Clinton have become dependent upon their charisma to get the job done without the real hard work required.
We should remember that charismatic leadership is a tool; not the end in and of itself. Leaders who forget will be remembered more for their evil and their failures than for those things they did right.
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