Charisma as defined in the reading is a quality that people have that allows them to relate to and inspire others on a deep emotional level. Throughout society, many people have been able to lead so effectively because they have this quality(s) (emotionally expressive, enthusiastic, driven, eloquent, visionary, self confident, and responsive to others.) They have the ability to communicate with people in both small settings as well as large setting and the ability to connect with people in a personal as well as emotional way.
A perfect real world example of this would be Adolf Hitler the leader of the Nazi party. Hitler was an exceptional public speaker who used a lot of expressive gestures and emotion in his speeches to arouse his audience. He had the ability to articulate his words extremely well and paint a picture in the German people’s minds as to what Germany could look like under his control. In addition, as the reading discusses many of these charismatic leaders rise to power in times of distress. This is exactly what happened with Hitler because the German’s were in a terrible depression after WWI and the German government was failing its people. Which is exactly what allowed Hitler to rise into power. He was able to connect with and inspire the German people on such an intense level that they wanted to follow his every command.
I think using Hitler as an example of a charismatic leader is perfect. He somehow convinced germans that killing millions of jews was the right thing to just because he knew how to talk to people. That being said, being charismatic can also be used in the wrong and obviously evil ways.
The adjectives you use to describe those who posses the quality of charisma is like that of the tsav- a substance that is believed to grow on the hearts of some people in the Tiv society of Nigeria. Although Riggio states that there is no direct English translation, he describes it as a combination of witchcraft, talent, power, and ability. I think you really summed up the qualities of the tsav, ones that can be used for good and evil.
I agree that a great example of a charismatic leader is Adolf Hitler. While his conceptions about the Jews are wrong, he was able to use his words to convince people that it was the right thing to do and one of the characteristics of a charismatic leader is being a good speaker. Most people commonly think of JFK, FDR, or Reagan when thinking about charisma rather than Hitler.
Using Hitler as an example was extremely smart. He was able to convince people that killing someone for their religious beliefs was the correct thing to do and that it was in no way a harmful matter. He used his charismatic measures to a negative matter.
I think this is well written and I like how you used Hitler as an example because in every way to his followers he was their leader and they would follow his every move without question. To most people his intentions were evil but to his followers they believed he was charismatic and doing the right thing.
I agree with the idea that charisma is a key quality for a leader to have, but I also think that the circumstances surrounding their rise to power are equally important (as you alluded to in your Hitler example). If Germany was not in as much turmoil as it was during that time, would people have still followed Hitler and his radical ideas?