44 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP
the others leave us ice - cold and can, in fact, be deadening. While we
may be drawn to the fi rst as moths to a fl ame, with the others we may
experience only boredom and frustration.
The kinds of mood states represented at these two extremes of the
spectrum have been widely described in the psychological literature. The
people who make up the fi rst set are characterized as ‘ hypomanics ’
(hypomania is a mild form of bipolar disorder), while those in the second
set are known as ‘ alexithymics ’ (from the Greek, meaning ‘ no word for
emotions ’ ). In this chapter I will look at hypomanics, and their effect
on the organization. I will turn to the alexithymics in Chapter 3.The Dionysian quality of charismatic leadership
Dionysus, son of Zeus — the god of wine, fertility, and ecstasy — has long
been a controversial fi gure in the Greek pantheon. There are profuse
and contradictory legends about him. In ages past, festivals were held in
his honor. Orgiastic, manic behavior — enhanced by music, wine,
dancing, and the eating of the fl esh and blood of sacrifi cial animals —
characterized many of these celebrations. During these festivals, the
Dionysian cult worked themselves up to states of ecstatic frenzy. They
hoped to merge their identity with that of the god and thus be liberated
and inspired. According to legend, Dionysus was subjected to both great
ecstasy and great suffering, symbolizing the struggle between creativity
and madness. He was thought not only to be able to free humankind
through wine and ecstatic frenzy but also to endow people with divine
creativity.
Like Dionysus, some leaders have the ability to infl uence others by
their mood state. The ebullience and energy they radiate can be down-
right contagious. That infectious behavior sparks enthusiasm in the
people around them. Followers are irresistibly drawn to such people.
Their attraction is such that everyone wants to be with them; they are
singled out, and become the subject of identifi cation. Because of their
ability to touch and stretch their followers, they rise easily to positions of
power. As they energize others, creating high commitment, their follow-
ers answer their summons and exert themselves beyond the call of duty.
The term ‘ charismatic leadership ’ is often used to describe this
ability to draw excellence out of one ’ s followers. German sociologist
Max Weber is credited with introducing the concept of charisma in his
description of various forms of authority. While Weber found concepts
such as traditional or legal authority fairly easy to grasp, charisma was