As I read these two articles, I could not help but think of President Donald Trump. Though he is already possibly one of the most historical American political figures, many Americans can likely agree, whether they despise every one of his policies and his entire administrations or follow him with the mindset that he is the most powerful and intelligent leader in the world, he is a person with charisma. A politician with such extreme views and who gives such outrageous speeches would never be able to get away with acting so divisively and aggressively if he or she was not charismatic and magnetic. Charisma is an interesting quality of a leader to me because it does not necessarily translate to solid leadership skills but is oftentimes very beneficial in terms of securing leadership positions. In my opinion, regardless of one’s opinion on Trump, it is undeniable that his communication skills and ability to manipulate a crowd using emotional intelligence strategies certainly helped him to campaign and draw a specific audience.
Reading about the significance of charisma in terms of leadership, being charismatic is very common in prototypical leaders, I heavily considered how important charisma actually is in leadership. A potential leader can appear energetic and motivated and express other characteristics of the six most typical characteristics associated with charisma, yet these traits could all be very natural to whoever possesses them. In other words, someone who is not dedicated to a certain cause or someone who does not care to engage in conversations but has a natural sense of charisma can appear to act a certain way in order to be elected or step up into a leadership role. It is very easy as well for a message to get lost if the leader is appealing and enthusiastic but does not actually have a strong and clear plan or ideology. Thus, charisma may be a common trait in many leaders and is beneficial for being chosen or pointed out as a leader, but it is certainly not necessary and in my opinion can either distract from the leader’s ideas or even trick followers into blindly following someone because they present themselves in such a socially appealing way.
For example, going back to President Donald Trump, at this point in his career, he can say almost anything and the specific audience that he has attracted will support what he says because they are so devoted to him. Many of his supporters do not even fully understand what he stands for, but it does not matter due to how captivated they are by someone so bold with such an air of arrogance or self-confidence who knows exactly how to communicate with his followers.
I agree with your statement regarding President Trump’s charisma. Whether you favor him and his policies or not, he still beholds charisma that has helped him gain supporters and land him leadership positions. I think this is very important to think about when reflecting on leaders throughout history including both good and bad.
I also found myself comparing the image of a charismatic leader shaped by the readings with Donald Trump. I agree that there is something so magnetic, as you put it, that draws his followers, no matter what he says or does. I think that Trump’s leadership follows the psychoanalytic theory of charisma defined in the “Encyclopedia of Leadership” because he uses authority and capitalizes on his followers’ identification with himself in order to induce their loyalty.
I definitely agree with your stance on Trump’s charisma and his ability to engage and arouse the audience members and his followers. Playing off this idea, I believe Hitler was full of charisma. His ability to convince people that a mass genocide was the best option for their country could not have been achieved without the qualities defined in charismatic leaders: verbally eloquent, able to articulate a compelling vision, and arouse an audience. I also agree with your position that charisma is not necessary for leaders to be successful, calling upon the idea of silent leaders, ones that don’t make a big scene but do the right things all the time.
I like how you used Donald Trump as an example of a charismatic leader. Many people don’t like him at all and the policies he proposes, but it doesn’t stop him from being very influential and charismatic. I think Donald Trump accurately represents a charismatic leader.
I see where you are going with this statement however, I disagree completely. Trump has had a problem with consistency in his messages which has been shown in his often contradicting opinions. At the same time, many people who have supported him have regularly questioned his literacy and/or competency. I do agree that despite this he has gotten many people to follow him, however, I would attribute this more to social constructs, economics, and inequalities more than his charisma.