Introduction
German sociologist Max Weber defined a charismatic leader as someone that espouses extraordinary characteristics and whose vision inspires several others (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002, p. 168). Charismatic leaders are capable of gathering masses in their support and leading major political, religious or social movement. But, such large following can be positive or negative for their opposition and some of them might even take criminal routes to achieve their objectives. In the present world, Barak Obama is a charismatic leader who is seen as a positive charismatic leader. Obama led a major political movement and brought the majority of the nation behind him to become the first African American President of US. On the contrary, Osama Bin Laden was also a charismatic leader who is seen as a negative leader as he inspired many to join his armed jihad and caused the deaths of thousands of people all over the world. This paper will analyze the positive and negative charismatic leadership approaches of Barak Obama and Osama Bin Laden.
Approach
Barak Obama has been a breath of fresh air for American politics and two million Americans turned up to see him take the Presidential oath in 2008 (Kellerman, 2009). When Barak Obama took office the country was in deep economic recession, but through his economic policies Obama managed to turn around the American economy in the next few years (Davis & Gardner, 2012, p. 928). It was Obama’s charisma under crisis that played a major role in the economic turnaround as he was able to convince the public about the possibility of overcoming troubled times. Obama’s term as the President has also been highly charismatic as he has been able to agree Iran Nuclear deal and pass Obamacare in the senate.
Osama Bin Laden always communicated his clear vision of attacking America and considered the country as immoral for their presence in the Middle East; acceptance of gambling, alcohol, and homosexuality; and support of Israel. Through his charismatic communication abilities, Osama Bin Laden was able to develop a huge following of armed Jihadis who were willing to sacrifice their life in the name of Allah (Immelman, 2002). Through his preaching and motivational messaging Osama carried out one of the most devastating attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001. Osama Bin Laden success as a charismatic leader can be still seen through the presence of armed jihad carried out by terror organizations such as ISIS and Boko Haram (Wood, 2015).
Compare and Contrast
Barak Obama and Osama Bin Laden have some similar traits, but they differ mostly due their vision and targets. Both Obama and Osama possess the ability to communicate their message to the masses and motivate people to work towards their objectives. Obama motivates his country’s people to work hard and bring the country’s economy out of recession. Osama encouraged his followers to join forces against America and attack them through terrorist attacks. The big difference between them is that Barak Obama through his actions would be remembered as a hero and a positive figure, whereas Osama Bin Laden will be remembered as a terrorist.
Conclusion
Charismatic leaders are people who have a vision and they are able to motivate others to join them in their political, social or religious missions. Barak Obama is a positive charismatic leader who has inspired his country out of economic recession and changed the course of history by striking a nuclear deal with Iran and passing Obamacare for American people. On the contrary, Osama Bin Laden is a negative charismatic leader that preached hatred against America and his philosophies are used by other terror organizations to carry out terror attacks.
References
Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (2002). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Amsterdam, Netherlands: JAI.
Davis, K. M., & Gardner, W. L. (2012). Charisma under crisis revisited: Presidential leadership, perceived leader effectiveness, and contextual influences. The Leadership Quarterly,23(5), 918-933. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2012.06.001
Immelman., A. (2002). The Personality Profile of al-Qaida Leader Osama bin Laden. Retrieved 16 August 2016 from, http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=psychology_pubs
Kellerman., B. (2009, 22 January). The Nature of Obama’s Charismatic Leadership. Retrieved 16 August 2016 from, https://hbr.org/2009/01/the-nature-of-obamas-charismat
Wood., G. (2015, March). What ISIS Really Wants. Retrieved 16 August 2016 from, http://picpimp.net/BestPosts/ISIS.pdf
