Challenging charismatic leadership

At present a public debate concerning leadership qualities are thriving in Norway. Last week DN (The Norwegian equivalent to The Financial Times) published an article that awoke my passion for thought leadership.

In its attempt to explain why charismatic leaders are best avoided in a corporate context, the article gives evidence of the extent and degree of conformity to social norms in Norway. One of the contributors to the article, Arne Selvik, express that there has been a paradigm shift in which an increased number of egocentric, even narcissistic leaders have emerged. His explanation is that stakeholders and shareholders have been seduced by leaders that embody charismatic traits. His opinion is that this merely provides the corporation with short-time financial gain/publicity. The article even suggests that charismatic leaders may inhibit corporate creativity and unity. Academically, charismatic leadership has been defined as “the process of influencing major changes in the attitudes and assumptions of organisations members, and building commitment for the organisations objectives” (Max Weber, 1947). From this, I say Selvik is wrong.

My opinion is that there has been a paradigm shift, but not in the sense that the article suggest. The paradigm shift that I refer to is the increasing importance of innovation and vision. Innovative leaders (charismatic or not) take chances in which they are not merely succumbing to incrementalism; they are revolutionising the industry in which they practise. With this in mind, I say as Joel Barker so well said before me “You can and should shape your own future; because if you don't someone else surely will”.

Why I was so stunned by this article is not because I am disagreeing with the notion that charismatic leaders may shift the focus from the corporation to the individual. Rather, I was amazed by the Norwegian unwillingness to accept that sometimes it is required to stand out, and dare I say it, be different. Just look at tycoons like Donald Trump and Richard Branson.