Week 3-The Importance of Performative Leadership

This week, I was able to see even more of the importance and big-picture of campaign finance not only in my work, but how it is a key element in providing political leadership overall. One of our clients is running for a significant political office, and I staffed an event which was a smaller dinner with large donors where this client advocated for his campaign and promoted himself as a candidate where he talked about his vision of this office and how he would fulfill this role. Not only did I see this from the perspective gained from Theories and Models, but seeing a potential leader in action from behind-the-scenes opened my eyes to how leaders operate under intense pressure, such as a when they are on the campaign trail.

The first theory that I noticed in our client’s speech was the Terror Management Theory. The terror, or threat, in this case is the current president, Trump. Because of this threat that Trump presents, our client played into the theory of being a solution to this problem, since he would be directly combatting Trump and provides solutions to the legislation and direction that Trump is leading the country currently. He played into the Terror Management theory because a sense of a threat makes followers more open to leaders who make them feel like they are part of something greater. In this case, it is saving the country from the actions of Trump, according to the client. 

From this need of a good leader, the client used referent power and idealized influence to explain how he is the person to fill the need of a new leader, how he is the resolve of the terror created by Trump. He explained how his former positions qualified him for the desired position and how his experience dealing with different political issues makes him appear to have a good mission for this desired role.

This event not only showed a more authentic, real version of his character and campaign since it was an intimate event, but revealed the tolls that this campaign has taken on him and all leaders in this position. My bosses noticed, only from knowing him well, that he was exhausted. He did not eat, although he needed to, and he answered questions in a more long winded fashion than the more segmented, rehearsed format. Even though the trail takes a toll on him, I realized, through witnessing him, how much of a brave face that political leaders have to put in on in order to seem practically invincible. This is an example of Keegan’s Mask of Command, which explains the “brave face” that leaders must put on for leaders to create the power, respect, and reverence that followers need. Despite having universal human needs, our client had to prioritize exemplifying leadership qualities over his own immediate needs.