charismatic managers convincingly lead people in such a way that their employees
derive both a sense that their work is worthwhile and an increased quality of
life from that work. These leaders are role models others emulate. Charismatic
managers inspire their employees to pursue more ambitious motives and goals.
They trust those they lead and show them their appreciation. In this way, they foster
feelings of self-worth and self-confidence among their employees, strengthening
their motivation in turn.
So far this sounds ideal. But charismatic leadership also has a shady side. When
charisma turns negative, such leaders are dubbed fanatics. They promote blind
obedience, dependence, and are egocentric. Such leaders exhibit arrogance, arbi-
trariness, abuse power, overestimate their own abilities, and are narcissistic.
In modern democratic society and modern economies this can be fatal, because
dependence entwined with power results in too much control and limited function-
ing; the power of fanatics is not sustainable in the long term. Nevertheless, in times
of crisis the call for powerful leaders arises, as people seek leaders who seem to be
able to solve any problem. Manfred Kets de Vries also agrees that charisma is
an important characteristic of a good manager, but needs a second component.
“Managers play two roles, the charismatic and the architectural. With charisma,
they produce the vision of a better future, inspire and empower their employees. As
architects, they concern themselves with the structure of the organization, control
mechanisms and systems of recognition” (Kets de Vries, 2002, p. 223). Charisma
alone is not sufficient; the authority to concretely implement change is also
necessary.
Peter F. Drucker did not believe that charisma and good leadership necessarily
go hand in hand. If a manager has a charismatic personality and is a good leader at
the same time, this is ideal. But one does not automatically come with the other.
In his writings, Drucker recalled the three most notorious charismatic leaders of
the past century – Stalin, Hitler and Mao, none of whom was characterized by an
exemplary style of leadership. In the past century, the world has also seen extra-
ordinarily effective leaders – Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Mars and Harry
Truman – who possessed as much charisma “as a mackerel,” as Drucker dryly
noted. Konrad Adenauer, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill were not partic-
ularly charismatic either. However, John F. Kennedy possessed charisma exceeding
that of nearly every other US President. According to Drucker, charisma can
actually be detrimental at times, because it may result in the “illusion of infallibil-
ity,” and decrease flexibility, whereas both will decrease capacity for change (see
Drucker 1967).
I would go not so far as Drucker, as I know several successful managers who are
charismatic. We can safely assume that charisma is quite important, but neither
necessary nor sufficient for a manager’s success. However, charisma can facilitate
leadership in certain contexts and situations if it is paired with a genuine interest
in others and not focused on self-promotion. When properly utilized, charisma can
ignite the flame of enthusiasm, maintain a focus on the positive, and increase
productivity.
2.2 The Leader 59