Cons
As discussed by many researchers, including Weber, Charismatic Leadership features
one huge negative: usually there is no plan for a successor. Even in cases when a successor is
nominated, a split in the organization sometimes ensues, leaving the discipleship confused and
chaotic. This is not a minor problem! Charismatic Leaders spend a great amount of time and
energy changing a culture. Many times the culture reverses itself after the Leader leaves, wasting
any progress.
Many leadership experts believe that Charismatic Leaders often deliver poor leadership
and weak long-term results. From a business standpoint (as opposed to, say, a religious one) it is,
in fact, very risky to look to a Charismatic Leader for results. Studying 1,435 companies’
performance over four decades, author Jim Collins and his team of researchers found that none
relied on charismatic saviors. Collins published his findings in the book Good to Great
(HarperCollins 2003). He asserts that most charismatic leaders “are good at rescue” but lousy at
“long-term success and management.” He cites Lee Iacocca of Chrysler in the 1980s and
Michael Armstrong of AT&T as two “superstar” leaders who made “big splashes” in the short
run but failed to deliver over the long haul.