Theories of Leadership, Who Are Corporate Psychopaths Free Essay Example, 3000 words

The trait leadership has gained fresh interest through the present prominence given on charismatic and visionary leadership. Charismatic leadership attracted fresh interest following the election of President Barrack Obama in 2008. Charismatic leadership was first introduced by Max Weber to refer to divine favor. Charismatic leaders possess charisma, which fundamentally refers to a leader s personal attributes that attract a massive following. The aspect of charisma emphasizes heroic leaders with something summarized in their dynamic and spectacular personalities. Many researchers recognize Obama s charisma as the main reason why he had a massive following and eventual election into the United States presidency (Bligh Kohles, 2009). Charismatic leadership focuses on noteworthy symbolic behaviors and emotional appeals that help to make events meaningful for followers. The delivery style of charismatic leadership is significant in helping a leader communicate with followers. Obama s smooth delivery style was viewed as critical in helping him articulate his vision. His vision of together we can and change we believe in was described as the practical application of the theoretical supposition that charismatic leaders must distill complex future ideals into simple messages with an emotional appeal (Raynolds, Outward Bound USA Chatfield, 2007). A study to establish what differentiates charismatic leaders and ordinary people established that; charismatic leaders have traits of motivation to attain social power and self-actualization, engagement in impression management, and self-monitoring. These recent studies reveal that the great men trait theory is still alive. We will write a custom essay sample on Theories of Leadership, Who Are Corporate Psychopaths or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page