Charismatic Leaders

Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Bose , Sardar Patel and Jawahar Lal Nehru among others    were the products of the freedom struggle  who were extremely charismatic leaders. Similarly in the western world, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald  Reagan, Nelson Mandela , Ted Turner, Barbara Jordan and Jesse Jackson are described as  genuinely charismatic, enthusiastic and courageous leaders.  They were leaders who possessed robust minds and were extremely mettlesome and audacious in their approach.   And all of them were willing to make personal sacrifices and thereby  fired the imagination of followers through positive thought process.

Students of organisational behavior would say that there are as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept. Strictly speaking leadership can  be defined as the ability to influence a group towards achievement of goals and objectives laid down by the organisation.  Leadership can be both formal and informal.

For instance Mahatma Gandhi, LokNayak Jaiprakash  never held any formal position in the organisation  yet they  were able  to connect seamlessly with the masses and guided them to the desired goals and targets.  This was because of their pristine character and the implicit trust people reposed in them.

John Kotter an  expert in organisational behavior argues that management  needs to be differentiated from leadership.  Management is all about managing complexities, contradictions , inconsistencies in an  undertaking  while leadership galvanizes people and organisations to undertake path breaking changes. Leaders are visionaries  and think about the future. They inspire  their followers to think ahead , develop strategies to overcome hurdles and cross the Rubicon.   They are potential risk takers and through their acts create something new and bold.  It is quite interesting to appreciate that not all leaders are managers nor are all managers leaders.

There are both  democratic  and autocratic leaders.  Jack Croushore of the Steel industry was a real tough guy who doled out disciplinary slips and chits on the  erring employees. But over a period of time he learned that situational factors influence leadership effectiveness. He adapted himself and improved his relationship with employees by altering his autocratic leadership to a more participative approach. ‘ Usually when I get into a situation , I think about how I would feel and how I would want to be treated if I were in that person’s place.’ said Jack Croushore.

Effective leaders  design , leader- member relations, the task structure of the organisation and the power position in the system. This enables them to grasp evolving situations and accordingly  roll out plans.  An effective leader should not be stubborn or obdurate but possess the mind to differentiate chaff from the grain and keep  constantly evolving  to the ever changing situation.

Dynamic leaders  have their ears to the ground and are in readiness to execute changes. These leaders tell their ideas, sell the concepts, engage  employees by making them participate and inherently believe in delegation of tasks.

It is quite possible that followers may be unable or unwilling to take up responsibility, they may lack in the necessary skill sets to execute the job , plainly unwilling to follow the leader, or may be highly  motivated and willing to perform the work order. Therefore through persuasion, motivational techniques leaders have to inspire their dedicated band of followers to accomplish the task on hand.

Charismatic leaders are blessed with confidence, efficacious thought process, self confidence, a vision for the future , the remarkable ability and gift to articulate the vision , possess deep conviction in their dreams and vision, by  becoming  agents of change and are sensitive to the constantly changing environment.

These charming and fascinating leaders do not focus on only short term goals , but have a grand design at the back of their minds to  trigger the imagination of the organisation and the followers to adapt to radical ideas.

‘ The goal of Chrysler is getting a little bit better every single day – that makes a real leader’ said  Robert J Eaton  upon taking up the responsibility of Chrysler Corporation.

This is the characteristic of a charismatic leader.