What is Charisma

Charisma, like leadership itself, has been defined in various ways. Nevertheless, there is enough consistency among these definitions to make charisma a useful concept in understanding and practicing leadership. Charisma is a Greek word meaning “divinely inspired gift.” In the study of leadership, charisma is a special quality of leaders whose purposes, powers, and extraordinary determination differentiate them from others. In general use, the term charismatic means to have a charming and colorful personality, such as that shown by many talk-show hosts. The various definitions of charisma have a unifying theme. Charisma is a positive and compelling quality that makes many others want to be led by the person that has it. The phrase many others is chosen carefully. Few leaders are perceived as charismatic by all of their constituents. Given that charisma is based on perceptions, an important element of charismatic leadership involves the attributions made by group members about the characteristics