A charismatic leadership is based on the ability of a leader to behave and communicate in a manner that reaches the followers and makes them emotional, motivated, and inspired to act in a certain way. The leader does not rely on external authority or power but uses personality and charm to give examples to his or her followers. Charisma may be useful in leadership, but it is not wholly essential when other qualities like integrity are lacking.
Characteristics of the charismatic leaders may be difficult to identify, but some of them are simple to notice based on the organization they work. The head can pass his or her communications on very powerful emotional levels. When a charismatic leader wants to give a message, he or she does not just use spoken words, but attaches feelings in them so that when they reach the intended users they create a sense towards what is being communicated (Samnani & Singh, 2013). When the leader is passing a message, they include some of their personal traits, such as being kind, which makes the followers in the organization understand and practice kindness to their colleagues. The leaders use visible self-sacrifices and involve in personal risks to gain the trust of their supporters in the organization. A charismatic leader may know that engaging in a particular activity such as a strike may cause the job, but will take a risk if it is the best option to save his or her followers and ensure they have a better life at work.
The followers in the organization view the leader to be a hero and have supernatural abilities and powers because they make excellent decisions that may be hard for others. The organizational followers get authority promotions depending on the personal charisma they show to the leaders. When a leader is involved in the daily activities, he or she observes the staffs and give rewards in the form of promotions to those who display almost similar levels of charisma as them. The leadership has no formal office of authority because all the powers are gained through the individual social skills.
Charismatic leadership is good when leading people, but it must be mixed with other forms of leadership such as having the integrity to ensure correct decisions are made in the organization.
References
Samnani, A. & Singh, P. (2013). When leaders victimize: The role of charismatic leaders in facilitating group pressures. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(1), 189-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2012.10.006
