Lack of Charisma

It is the sixth week of my internship and the leadership theory that I wish was more prevalent and supported within my organization is that of Charismatic leadership. I believe charismatic leadership is integral in a successful and happy work environment, as people are more motivated to produce when their leader is energetic and charismatic.

One of the few individuals within the company who displays a form of charismatic leadership is the CEO of the company. While he is a relatively soft spoken individual, he displays consistent charisma in that he is energetic and caring when interacting with his co-workers. In contrast, the CFO, while successful in producing results, does not necessarily implement charismatic leadership. He is fairly straight to the point and strict, not exuding much positive energy or providing any motivation to produce outside of the fear of repercussions if they do not. Observing how the CFO produces results reminded me of a video we watched in theories and models, pertaining to three scenarios in which an individual gives three separate volunteer groups speeches prior to them sealing letters to send out for a charity requesting donations. The first group was given an ordinary, uncharismatic speech, the second a charismatic speech, and the third the promise of monetary reward if they seal a large amount of letters. The result of the experiment was that the group who received the charismatic speech produced the same result(in terms of the amount of letters that were completed and sealed) as the group that was promised the monetary reward, and at a much lower financial cost. This reminded me of the CFO’s leadership style in that he could hypothetically produce the same results he does, if not better, if he utilizes a charismatic leadership style rather than one based on fear.

Charismatic leadership theory is exhibited by the CEO, and produces positive results. However, the theory is not entirely applicable to the CFO as he does not exude a large amount of charisma. This leads me to one of my conclusions as I near the end of my internship. I believe if the CFO practiced a more charismatic leadership style, he would produce a more positive and enjoyable work environment, which in turn would result in more happy and productive employees.