What is your primary leadership style? (Part 3 of 6)

Charismatic Leadership

We’re back with the third installment of the “What is Your Primary Leadership Style?” series. In previous installments, we discussed affiliative leadership and autocratic/authoritarian leadership.

This week, our focus shifts to charismatic leadership. Charisma is one of those je ne sais quoi traits. You instantly recognize charisma in others when you see or experience it. Yet, you’re also hard-pressed to adequately capture its essence in words. We’ll attempt to do just that in this post.

Description: Charismatic leaders are confident, influential, charming, positive, and persuasive. They employ self-deprecating humor to show their vulnerability, be relatable, and lower people’s guard. They also tend to be excellent storytellers, with an ability to expertly incorporate humor to convey a memorable message to their audience. Speaking of an audience, charismatic leaders know how to read theirs. They pick up on nonverbal communication cues and can easily adjust their message delivery in the moment. These leaders are skillful at “working a room” and making genuine one-on-one connections. They shake hands, learn names, and get to know people by asking them personal questions and actively listening to their responses. Naturally effective communicators, charismatic leaders develop strong emotional connections and maintain close interpersonal relationships.

Advantages: Charismatic leaders act as cheerleaders and encourage their employees to persist toward accomplishing their goals despite adversity. Their ability to develop emotional connections with their employees fosters a sense of belonging, trust, and loyalty on their teams. Employees who work with charismatic leaders are more likely to identify with their team, which contributes to their job satisfaction, performance, and retention. Team members led by charismatic leaders benefit from their leader’s strategic vision, clear communication, and high emotional intelligence. It's no coincidence employees on their teams show fewer signs of stress and burnout.

Disadvantages: One of the possible dangers of this leadership style is employees may become overly reliant on their leader’s direction to the point of stunting their own development. Employees fearful of disappointing their charismatic leader may resort to unethical behavior to meet their leader’s high-performance expectations. Finally, as with any skill that is abused, leaders with this style may use charisma for their own selfish ends and manipulate others to advance a personal agenda.

Examples: A few well-known figures who have exhibited characteristics of charismatic leaders include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Malala Yousafzai, and Angela Merkel.

Check back next week for Part 4 of this series, where we’ll explore democratic/participative leadership.

Sources: The Niagara Institute Leadership Styles Handbook, 25 Charismatic Leadership Examples (and Traits)

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