The charismatic leader who transformed my life
About the coursework: A profile of a leader: A case is to be constructed of a notable person. This person can be a sports leader, a political leader, an organizational leader, a religious leader, or perhaps a family member. The notable person can be drawn from media or direct from first hand experience. The assessment will constitute a 3,000 word assignment outlining the key leadership and ethical practices of this person. The leader I am going to describe in this essay is my friend Kamila Mavadin Huseynova.
Kamila is 22 years old, she comes from Azerbaijan and she is currently studying Management in Lancaster University. She is the first leader who came in my mind for this essay as she is a bright combination of charismatic and transformational leader. Despite her young age it is notable how wise and clever she is. Kamila is the person who changed the way I view and realize life and activated my higher-order ambitions. Moreover, as a leader she taught me the importance of doing something extraordinary in life rather than living the common life I was living before I meet her.
Kamila was the first person who communicated a vision to me which still keeps me inspired to achieve something great. I devote this essay to her. You do not often have the opportunity to meet a charismatic leader in your life – especially in young age. I was very luck to meet my best friend at university when I was 18, a person whom I could easily say was the one to change the way I see life today. In this essay I will describe the qualities of my friend, that I am confident enough she can fulfill all the requirements to be called a charismatic leader who also proved to be a transformational one.
Moreover, I will describe how a charismatic person who was believed by many researches to have had superhuman qualities in the past is led by a power of instinct that common people do not show in real life. Although a successful leader must be a combination of transformational and transactional leader, I strongly believe that if a leader cannot inspire and motivate followers by other means than monetary rewards, success will not be extraordinary. Being in the position of the follower – and observer at the same time – it is easier for me to associate Kamila’s attributes with those of a charismatic leader.
Max Weber (1947) – an early sociologist – used the term Charisma to describe a type of influence that is not based on authority or other formalities but it is actually based on the perceptions of followers that the leader is endowed with exceptional qualities. Weber believed that a charismatic leader usually emerges during a social crisis and offers a radical vision and a solution that attracts followers who believe in this vision. The followers experience some successes regarding this vision, thus it seams more attainable and they conceive the leader as extraordinary.
In Greek, we use the word ‘charisma’ when we want to refer to someone’s talent, gift from God. Common talents can be seen in almost all people, i. e. music, dance, acting talent etc. I believe that the charisma that is associated with charismatic leaders is the charisma of instinct and God – an inner power that can only lead to the right direction and road of life. In the case of Kamila, I see charisma in her ability to always predict-choose the correct options and make the right decisions.
She never makes quick actions and she always acts in a wise manner. As I have noticed, Kamila’s charismatic personality makes other people interested and attracted to her, showing trust and quick devotion at the same time. The aura and magic around the charismatic leader causes the attraction of followers who feel charmed by his/her charismatic personality. Charisma is something that cannot be easily explained or defined by followers; they only realize it when they see it.
