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Is Charismatic Leadership Good for Groups?

August 9, 2011 By 4 Comments

This week’s article, Is Charismatic Leadership Good for Groups?, was inspired by a dialogue with my friend, Lynn Goldhammer, a Lieutenant Commander and Quality Performance Consultant in the Coast Guard. Our discussion got me questioning the value of strong, forceful, and charismatic leadership in the world of facilitation and training. It occurs to me as a facilitator, that at some times and in some places, this trait might get overused. This article explores when strong leadership may and may not be useful. We look forward to your comments! Click here to read entire article.

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Comments

  1. John Lesko says:
    August 9, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    I do believe that the level of charisma used by a facilitator or even by the organization’s leaders is directly related to the culture of the group. Envision a room full of fighter pilots. Ego, self confidence, and charima will be found in abundance here. And yet each highly trained “jet jockey” also has an appreciation for what it means to be another’s wingman. If all assembled w/in a meeting space understand the ROLES that need to be filled, then most times each well-intended participant w/in the troupe will do their part. So in these terms we must then guard against those who think they must ‘steal every scene’ and therefore ruin the play.

    “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” — William Shakespeare

  2. John Lesko says:
    August 9, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    (continued) … Sorry about the mixed metaphors.

  3. Andrea Moretti-Adimari says:
    August 9, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    Beautiful John. Love your comment. As my kids just made me watch High School Musical (about breaking out of stereotypes) let me complement you with Troy Bolton’s “so as the composer of the musical, that makes you like the playmaker in basketball, whose job is to make everyone else look good” : 0 ) Andrea

  4. Lynn Morstead says:
    August 9, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    Steve, Inspired, as usual! I constantly struggle with this balance, since I love the playfulness and center stage that the facilitaton role can sometimes offer me.
    I find that in smaller groups, a more gentle, probing, light touch is more often called for, vs. a large group (40+), where the energy and charisma factor can be useful to maintaining energy, this can launch smaller group discussions and keep the overall group glued together and organized and they move in and out of the plenary sessions.

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