Meaning & use
charismatic leadership
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A style of leading in which people follow a person mainly because of their powerful personal charm and inspiring vision.
Grammar: Uncountable, so no plural and no 'a' before it: say 'charismatic leadership', not 'a charismatic leadership'.
Patterns
- charismatic leadership of a group
- under someone's charismatic leadership
- a model of charismatic leadership
Her charismatic leadership of the startup kept the whole team working through two difficult years.
The course compares charismatic leadership with leadership based on rules and clear job descriptions.
Under his charismatic leadership, the small party grew into a national movement.
noununcountabletechnical
The kind of authority a leader gains when followers are devoted to the leader's personality rather than to a position or an office.
Grammar: Used in academic writing about power and organizations; it names the authority itself, not the person.
Patterns
- rest on charismatic leadership
- a form of charismatic leadership
In his theory, charismatic leadership rests on followers' belief in the leader's special gifts.
When the founder left, the company discovered how much of its success had depended on charismatic leadership.
Common combinations
- charismatic leadership style
- Her charismatic leadership style won loyalty but made decisions slow.
- exercise charismatic leadership
- He exercised charismatic leadership during the crisis, calming everyone with a single speech.
- a charismatic leader
- A charismatic leader can inspire people, but the effect often fades when the leader leaves.
- under charismatic leadership
- Under charismatic leadership, the group took risks that a committee would never have approved.
- charismatic leadership theory
- Charismatic leadership theory asks why some leaders inspire devotion and others do not.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transformational leadership
- Similar in focusing on vision and inspiration, but it stresses changing the organization, not just the leader's personal appeal.
- inspirational leadership
- A plainer, less technical phrase; it describes the effect on people without the academic idea of special personal authority.
Opposites
Word family
- charisma noun
- The personal charm or magnetic quality that makes people want to follow someone.
- charismatic adjective
- Describing a person who attracts strong loyalty through personal charm.
- leader noun
- The person who directs or guides a group.
- leadership noun
- The activity or position of leading a group.
Commonly confused: charismatic leadership or characteristic?
charismatic leadership vs characteristic
Different word with a similar sound: 'characteristic' means a typical feature of something, not personal charm.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'charismatic leadership' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Charismatic leadership' is uncountable and names a style or kind of authority, so it follows 'under' in sentence B. An and C wrongly add 'a' or use it for a person, and D uses it as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “charismatic leadership”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.