GUELPH HUMBER AHSS 2310 02

Charismatic Leadership:
How to inspire change
Maire Balzan 0726809
3/14/2013
Maire Balzan
0726809
AHSS 2310*02
Black Lambert
March 14, 2013

When we think about leaders the usual things that come to mind are people that inspire us

to do the things we never thought possible. They are the people of change and inspiration. It

seems as though they appear from nowhere and have all the solutions to every problem

(Jacobsen, C., House, R. J. 2001). Only a certain kind of person will be able to influence

different groups of people to make a major change. These individuals show a lot of the major

characteristics of one type of leadership, charismatic leadership. The individuals that display this

type of leadership are truly remarkable. They are very intuitive and have amazing people skills to

persuade and reassure the masses of their vision (Yukl, G. 1999). These people make you feel

and believe as though anything can be achieved (Lockhard, G. 2010). With their undeniable

skills the greatest of leaders can be called charismatic leaders. This type of leadership has really

emerged within the last few decades (Rowolda, J. Heinitzb, K. 2007). The ability for these

leaders to connect with their follows and sell themselves that really sets them apart from other

leadership styles. Many of the greatest and most influence people were and are charismatic

leaders. Some of the characteristics they exhibit are: vision, communication skills, high energy

and action orientated, trustworthy, self-confidence and intelligent (Lussier, R. N., Achua, C. A.

2013). People like Hitler and Nelson Mandela are just two of the many charismatic leaders who

guided people into a new future using their many interpersonal skills and personal charm.

At one of Germany’s most desperate hours, one man stepped forward with the promise of

a better future. He was able to share his vision with an entire nation and convince them that the

only way forward was with his guidance. Hitler was particularly good at delivering incredible

speeches that allowed a nation to picture themselves in the future he described. After World War
Maire Balzan
0726809
AHSS 2310*02
Black Lambert
March 14, 2013

I Germany was left broken, divided and humiliated, it needed someone or something to change

the situation. Hitler offered the German people a way out; the German people loved Hitler and

followed his every word without question. He was able to take over every aspect of Germany

and use its resources to fulfil his own personal wants. Although Hitler was a charismatic leader

inspiring action from his followers, he was not the most positive type of charismatic leader.

Since Hitler influenced his followers into making his own personal want a reality he is classified

as a personalized charismatic leader (PCL) (Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. A. 2013). With the use

of threats and rewards Hitler’s followers were shown very quickly what disobedience would

cause them. The scare tactics worked well in keeping followers in place and insuring that every

man, woman and child only looked to him for guidance (Samnania, A., Singhb, P. 2012). Hitler

proved that not all great leaders can be regarded as heroes (Lockhard, G. 2010); even the

extraordinary can have deeper darker desires that go against the better side of human society.

Luckily however, Hitler and his leadership style is not the end all be all.

Similar to Hitler, Nelson Mandela was able to change a nation. At the start of his raise

into his political position Mandela worked to bring together another broken, divided nation. His

country was separated by race, and when he was elected president he wanted to change that. He

saw that his beloved country was falling apart and he set out to show his people how things could

be. When he moved into office he did not let anyone go based on their beliefs or colour. He was

a role-model for an entire nation that recently, for many, got their freedom. Mandela seemed to

make a nation remove most of its racial tendencies by setting a good example for others to

follow. Though his example and persuasion he was able to lead his followers to a brighter future

that no one thought possible. Mandela lead his nation away from the oppression they once knew,
Maire Balzan
0726809
AHSS 2310*02
Black Lambert
March 14, 2013

he explained and showed people what the future could look like if they worked together and he

didn’t but his own personal agenda before the common goal. All of these characteristics

classified Mandela as socialized charismatic leader (SCL) (Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. A. 2013).

Mandela was able to show and inspire great change in his people making him one of the greatest

charismatic leaders of our time

Adolf Hitler and Nelson Mandela were able to use their gifts to change the situation they

and their followers were in. They used skills like: impeccable speaking, trustworthiness, vision

and action orientation. Both of these great men may have had different motives as to why they

emerged and lead their people down different paths. However, both men drastically changed a

society and their situation by inspiring their people into action (Jacobsen, C., House, R. J. 2001).

The main characteristic that is crucial to charismatic leadership is the leader’s ability to use their

personalities to sell themselves and their vision to their followers (Yukl, G. 1999). Some of the

truly great leaders of all time have in some way followed in the footsteps of other great

charismatic leaders. They put the needs of the people above everything else and they inspire a

real chance to start and continue even after they are gone.
Maire Balzan
0726809
AHSS 2310*02
Black Lambert
March 14, 2013

Reference list
Yukl, G. (1999). An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic
leadership theories. The Leadership Quarterly, 10 (2), 285-305. doi: 10.1016/S1048-
9843(99)00013-2

Rowolda, J. Heinitzb, K. (2007). Transformational and charismatic leadership: Assessing the

convergent, divergent and criterion validity of the MLQ and the CKS. The Leadership
Quarterly, 18 (8), 121-133. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984307000045.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. A. (2013). Leadership theory, application, & skill development. (5th
ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Lockhard, G. (2010). Charismatic leaders. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBTxk5nD4wk

Jacobsen, C., House, R. J. (2001). Dynamics of charismatic leadership: a process theory,

simulation model, and tests. The Leadership Quarterly,12 (1), 75-112. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984301000650

Samnania, A., Singhb, P. (2012). When leaders victimize: The role of charismatic leaders in
facilitating group pressures. The Leadership Quarterly, 24 (1), 189-202. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984312000951