In the Washington Post’s blog “On Leadership,” Jepson School of Leadership Studies Professor Joanne B. Ciulla writes about Sarah Palin and “The genius and pitfalls of charisma.” The posting is cited here:
“In response to the On Leadership question: As Sarah Palin goes about laying the foundation for a possible presidential candidacy, what could she do to burnish her leadership credentials beyond her conservative base?
A leaders’ credibility depends on how well he or she fills follower’s expectations in a variety of contexts. Presidents lead in settings ranging from town hall meetings to cabinet meetings. Each context requires them to possess the appropriate personal affect and relevant information.
At the Republican Convention and the recent Tea Party gathering, Sarah Palin exemplified the qualities that people want their leaders to have in such contexts. She demonstrated a keen sense of the emotional state of the room and effectively united the crowd – mostly by attacking a common enemy. Palin makes her audience feel good about themselves and empowered, but most importantly, she makes them want her as their leader. She does all of this with caustic humor moderated by a down-home charm (that her followers call “authenticity”), and a plain speaking style that conveys the idea that “The truth is simple and I have the truth.” Palin likes to call herself a “maverick,” but her leadership style has the hallmarks of a charismatic leader.
In the context of rallying the troops and preaching to the converted, she has plenty of leadership “cred.” The media coverage she gets adds to that credibility in the eyes of followers. Pundits of every stripe speculate about whether Palin will run for president. This gives the impression that they regard her as a credible leader.
The question is, what happens when Palin finds herself in contexts where people expect leaders to be knowledgeable about the issues and propose solutions to the nation’s problems? How does she expand her base?
The obvious answer is to hire consultants, crank up the conservative think tanks, and create the Palin platform. Palin says that she has been studying up on the issues. If she runs, she probably will hire policy wonks, but how much will she study?
As Max Weber observed, charismatic leaders play by their own rules. They do not recognize or value competence, and they see their authority residing outside of the realm of every day concerns. Charismatic leaders get into trouble when they become overconfident in the power of their emotional appeal and personality. If Palin wants leadership “cred” she will have to avoid this trap and remember that being a great cheerleader does not mean that voters will let you play the game.”
