Charismatic leadership – How to become a charismatic leader [with examples]

In this post, we will discuss what is charismatic leadership and the different charismatic leadership characteristics with examples.

Charismatic leadership

Charismatic leadership is a unique style of leadership wherein the leaders demonstrate an aura of charm, instill confidence and encourage interpersonal communication and relation. People follow them to gain motivation, inspiration and to achieve the goals and objectives with grace.

Charismatic Authority

Developed by Max Weber, a German sociologist, the concept of Charismatic authority is a form of leadership derived from the charisma of a leader. Charismatic leadership possessed by an individual comprises exceptional personal attributes and characteristics related to confidence, extraordinary visionary powers, and insight into the future.

A charismatic leader has a dynamic personality, influencing subordinates to follow his or her path to fulfill the vision of a company. The authority is centered around a single person who engages with the team encouraging communication and feedback for betterment. The leader is interested in creating a healthy relationship with his or her followers.

Also read: John Maxwell’s 21 leadership laws explained with examples

Charismatic leaders definition

What is the definition of charismatic leader?

While specifying charismatic leaders definition, the characteristics that need to be mentioned are – clear communication, demonstrating empathy and compassion, and possessing strong confidence. They are willing to accept mistakes and improve based on the feedback from the team. Charismatic leadership focuses on understanding the concerns and issues of subordinates and seeking a resolution.

They can lead and motivate the team to achieve the goals and objectives. As per the definition, charismatic leader is full of passion, zeal, and enthusiasm to complete their work within the stipulated time with dedicated focus and attention.

What is a charismatic leader?

What is a charismatic leader or how to define charismatic leadership?

A charismatic leader or charismatic leadership essentially harps on the emotions of the team members and inspires them to achieve the goals. He or she tries to build a sense of trust and confidence by encouraging interaction and persuasive communication.

The charismatic style of the leader through innovative thoughts and exceptional visibility creates respectful feelings within the subordinates. People tend to follow them for reaching the business objectives as well as a source of inspiration and motivation in executing their tasks.

Also read: John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership explained

Charismatic leadership theory

Charismatic leadership theory defines the leadership style as trait-based. Conceptualized by Max Weber, it gained official recognition in the year 1976. As per the theory and definition charismatic leadership focuses on problem-solving.

They act as role models and possess excellent personal traits to influence and motivate others. Charismatic leaders are pioneers in resolving problems, thus gaining the trust and confidence of the team. According to Dubrin, there are five types of charismatic leaders :

• Socialized – never using power for personal gains
• Personalized – using power to a certain extent for personal gains
• Office-holder – focuses on office more
• Personal – with social and emotional skills
• Divine – with high grace

Characteristics of charismatic leaders

Let us now discuss the key characteristics of charismatic leaders. Charismatic leadership possesses certain personality traits which are unique and must be understood with clarity. If you are interested in transformational leadership, then you must adopt these traits or align yourself to the characteristics.

1. Compassion as a charismatic personality

A charismatic personality needs to be compassionate towards the team and the work. The leader must be empathetic towards the employees and shower a sense of belief and trust. Being compassionate signifies focusing on the positive emotions of the team and not being too egoistic.

2. Confidence of a charismatic leader

Confidence is one of the vital characteristics of a charismatic leader. Charismatic leadership emphasizes on achieving the objectives and goals of a project or a program with a positive mindset. He or she stays focused on the deadlines and is confident on meeting the timelines without any deviations.

Also read: How to become a well-grounded leader at work place in 2021?

3. Vision defines personality of a leader

The personality of a leader under the charismatic leadership definition is also driven by vision. Most charismatic people or a leader has a strong vision in the strategic run and influence the team in fulfilling the vision with grace. He or she is focused on the future and curates innovative thoughts in improvising techniques and strategies to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.

4. Determination is a charismatic power

Determination is a charismatic power of a leader. The ability and capability of a leader to overcome the odds and risks and propagate towards success are some of the greatest characteristics of charismatic leadership. Furthermore, a determination is also vital in completing the activities within the timeline and ensuring better productivity.

5. Communication as one of the charismatic personality traits

Persuasive communication is one of the charismatic personality traits of a leader. Clear and concise communication with proper articulation is a specialty of a charismatic leader. The leader must efficiently communicate the goals and the visions to the team.

Also read: What is laissez-faire leadership & its importance [with examples!

Pros and cons of charismatic leadership style

Let us now focus on the pros and cons of the charismatic leadership style. This will help you to understand the benefits of charismatic leadership. Also, it is crucial to know about the disadvantages so that you can be prepared to face the odds and tackle them.

Pros

• An emotional connection exists between the leader and the team
• The leader demonstrates a sense of differentiation and innovation
• Creates a positive impact in the minds of the people
• The team learns from the leader and stays focused on the results
• The low attrition rate in the company
• Stimulates productivity and acceleration in achieving the deadlines

Cons

• Too much focus on the leader and their personal traits may always not be consistent
• People tend to follow the dreams and visions of the leader and de-focuses on personal aspirations
• People work towards the goals of the leader and overlook their individual objectives

Also read: 8 philosophies of great leaders [with templates]

Charismatic leadership examples

Charismatic leadership examples can be found in various aspects and sectors of the professional environment. They act as idols for many who want to pursue charismatic leadership. In this section let us read through some examples of a famous charismatic leader.

1. Martin Luther King Jr. as one of the examples of charismatic authority

Martin Luther King Jr., a great leader and motivational speaker, is one of the examples of charismatic authority. He delivered a famous speech on August 28, 1963, which attracted more than 200,000 people. He inspired people by his powerful speeches.

2. Sir Winston Churchill was a charismatic leader

Sir Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of the UK, was a charismatic leader. His powerful oratory skills inspired the people, generating encouragement and motivation for the future. His speech allured millions of people, instilling confidence and trust in him.

3. Jack Welch is an example of a charismatic leader

Jack Welch, the youngest CEO of General Electric, is an example of a charismatic leader. He was well known for being empathetic towards his employees and building up a strong relationships with them. He was a pioneer in setting up aspirational goals and being positive in achieving them.

Also read: What is autocratic leadership & its importance [with examples]

4. Sukarno is one of the charismatic leader’s examples

Sukarno, the Indonesian leader, is one of the charismatic leader’s examples. He led the nationalist movement of Indonesia. His speeches spurred the heart of the people and instigated them to dedicate themselves for the nation; a prominent leader with attributes of charismatic leadership.

How to groom charismatic people in your team?

In this section, we will discuss certain tips on how to groom charismatic people in your team. Though charismatic leadership demands the development of personal traits, yet there are ways to develop the skills. Some organizations even conduct a charismatic personality test to judge the effectiveness of the training or learning curve.

1. Controlling nerves to be a charismatic person

Controlling nerves and being empathetic are one of the first steps of being a charismatic person. It’s good to conduct some interpersonal relationship classes and courses with experts specializing in assisting people to develop such emotional characteristics.

2. Developing listening powers as one of the charismatic characters

Developing listening powers or possessing listening intent is one of the charismatic characters that need to be taught as part of charismatic leadership training. The ability to hear out a person, be rational in judgments and logically handle situations are some of the traits that need to be guided and taught for charismatic leaders.

3. Be adaptable to situations as part of charisma in leadership

As part of charisma in leadership, it is important to educate a person to be adaptable in situations. There can be a crisis and risky situations in various stages of a program, but being consistent and adaptable are very important. Hence you need to appropriately train the team.

Also read: What is democratic leadership & its importance [with examples]

4. Move away from being autocratic

You have to move away from the mindset of being autocratic and dominant in leadership style to a more lenient style to be a charismatic leader. You need to train people to understand the aspirations, thoughts and ideas of the team and force them to make tough decisions.

Charismatic vs transformational leadership

One of the key differences in charismatic vs transformational leadership is the way the people are motivated and transformed along with the social systems. Charismatic leadership focuses on a vision and the followers are motivated and inspired by the aura and charm of the leader. Charismatic personality means imbibing an interest within the team to pursue the goals and fulfill them with dedication and focused attention.

Transformational leadership, on the other hand, brings in a change in the social systems and the individuals. They instigate people to churn their thoughts to achieve the goals and take up ownership for their work.

Also read: What is team building & why is it super important for companies in 2021?

Top 10 charismatic leaders in history

The world has witnessed several prominent charismatic leaders in history. 

1. Napoleon Bonaparte, the renowned French military leader and politician
2. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the nation of India, and freedom fighter
3. Fidel Castro, former President of Cuba
4. Winston Churchill, British statesman and former Prime Minister of UK
5. Adolf Hitler, German politician, and leader of the Nazi party
6. Martin Luther King Jr., American spokesman, leader, and politician
7. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa
8. Eva Peron, politician, activist, and philanthropist of Argentina
9. Malcolm X,  African-American Muslim minister, and human rights activist
10. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, and diplomat