Charismatic Leaders in the Workplace
As mentioned in previous articles, situational leadership abilities can be an important factor in determining success or failure. When place in certain conditions, charismatic leaders can help to transform a company.
In fact, these charismatic qualities are very similar to those found in transformational leadership roles. They can lead organizations into new areas, inspire followers, and sometimes obtain extraordinary performance and results from an organization. First described by Max Weber in 1947 as one of three leadership styles (Bureaucratic, Traditional and Charismatic) the study of this style later evolved with the thoughts of Burns into a transformational leader.
Whether Weber or Burns is correct in their model of leadership styles is not important, what is important is to understand the skills they practice or possess. There appear to be at least four stages in the evolution of a charismatic leader, and they achieve these results by appealing to the followers in very simple ways. When such an individual finally achieves the status of "hero," the organization is likely to have been rescued.