Charismatic Leadership of Barack Obama - Essay Example

Charismatic Leadership: Barack Obama Barack Obama’s campaign for the U.S. Presidency has effectively demonstrated his ability to rise on the strength of his charisma and abilities. In a speech given after his recent landslide victory in North Carolina, Obama himself highlights this meteoric rise. He states: “You know, when this campaign began, Washington didn’t give us too much of a chance…..[but]…tonight we stand 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.”(www.bostonnews.com). According to Jeff Johnson, one of the unique traits found is most people is that “we’re all born with an innate tendency to want to believe” (Johnson, 2008) and it appears that Barack Obama has been able to successfully tap into this tendency inherent in people across America, and inspire them to support his bid for the Presidency of the United States. In terms of political experience, he is a relative newcomer from an obscure background, as a candidate for the Presidency of the United States, he is relatively young and in terms of his political connections and influence, he had relatively none that could have propelled his meteoric rise to his current position. The only explanation that serves to explain his progress and his increasingly legitimate claim to leadership of the United States, is his charisma, his oratory and his inspirational rhetoric. According to Willner, authority may be of the traditional variety, arising out of the belief in the sanctity of traditions, or it may be charismatic, where the claim to authority is personal. Charismatic authority is not derived from office or status but from “the capacity of a particular person to arouse and maintain belief in himself or herself as the source of legitimacy.”(Wilner, 1984:3-8). Willner clarifies however, that this does not necessarily mean that the claim to leadership is interchangeable with charisma as the basis for authority. On the other hand, it is “a relatively sustained and asymmetric exercise of influence by one individual, the leader, over others, the followers.” (Willner 1984: 3-8). Barack Obama appears poised in a leadership position where he demonstrates such an exercise of influence and the ability to appeal to others across the board and inspire them. The ground for such influence arises in the views that Obama espouses. For example, he focuses on the common ground existing between Americans rather than highlighting their differences: “There is not a Black America and White America and Latino America and Asian America – there is the United States of America.” (Kakutani, 2006). Obama is well placed to deliver such a message, because his own roots are multi racial, with a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya. His own childhood was difficult, because he grew up feeling that he did not belong to either the white or black community. As he sought to discover his own identity among the black community, he describes how it was circumscribed by “the white man’s rules”, so that even those things assumed to be unfettered expressions of black identity were at best “a refuge, at worst, a trap.” (Times, 2007). Yet, even as he sought his identity among the black race and their antipathy to “white folks”, the heritage from his white mother and grandparents stayed with him. His growing up years left him with the awareness of knowing both the black world and the white world yet belonging to neither, so that he was forged to forge his own identity. The development of his independent persona may be largely the factor that sets Obama apart and makes him a man that others look up to for leadership and vision. It has endowed him with a charisma that enables him to move and inspire people, irrespective of their race, and thereby legitimizes his claim that he can end the divisive politics and begin a new era in the country. Ann Ruth Willner notes that “in the charismatic relationship, followers believe their leader to have superhuman qualities or to posses to an extraordinary degree the qualities highly esteemed in their culture. They attribute to their leader qualities commonly associated in their culture with the realm of the divine or the supernatural, with gods, demigods, or outstanding heroes (Willner, 1984:3-8)” Barack Obama’s political experience is limited to his Senate term, which has been questioned, in terms of its adequacy to satisfy the depths of experience and acumen required for the office of the President of the United States. Yet, irrespective of this political inexperience, the sphere of Obama’s influence appears to extend to much greater levels and this may be due to the qualities that people are able to perceive in him. As pointed out by Hughes et al, “Leadership is a complex phenomenon involving the leader, the followers and the situation.”(Hughes et al, 2002:6). Therefore leadership cannot be assumed to be a position, rather it is a process of interaction between a leader, followers and the situation. For example, African Americans across the nation may view Obama as their savior and their hope of representation at the power centers in Washington. Young Americans view him as a symbol of change, a person who has separated himself from the existing political machinations and set the agenda for a change in the very system prevailing in Washington. Senator Barack Obama’s campaign does not accept contributions from lobbyists, but has instead initiated a grass roots campaign, where individuals across the nation can make small financial contributions and campaign donations through his website www.barackobama.com. The transformational leadership approach as advocated by Bernard Bass (1985) states that a good leader will try to transform the attitudes and relationships between the people who work under him, and Obama appears to be demonstrating this. He is able to protect an aura of authenticity, with reporters continually pointing out his ability to come across to voters as a regular guy rather than a politician.(Kakutani, 2006). His message for change appears to resound with voters, and clearly demonstrates Willner’s argument about the quality possessed by a charismatic leader, to inspire in his followers the belief that he represents and possesses those qualities that are highly esteemed in their culture (Willner, 1984:3-8). Barack Obama comes across to voters as a genuine person, a person of honesty and integrity akin to America’s great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King. Such great leaders represent the cherished values of American culture because they sought to unite people and bring equality for all people, as enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama, with his message of unity and equality, his message of change from the elitist politics of Washington, appeals to the same cherished values of American culture, which may serve to explain his appeal and why people accept his authority and view him as Presidential. Despite the controversies over his pastor Wright and the virulently negative attacks against him, Barack Obama has not descended into partisan politics, but has continued to press forward on a more positive note – his love for America, the only country where he could have achieved what he has thus far, and the need to save the country from the destructive policies currently in place. Obama thus fits the mold of a transformational leader, who will be charismatic and a visionary. Such a leader is able to inspire his/her followers at a level that is more deep rooted and far exceeds the scope of motivation that can be achieved through rewards (Howell and Forst 1989). This message of unity and change that Barack Obama brings to the people is also appreciated by educated, intelligent people from all the races. As Armstrong points out, Barack Obama also appears to possess the ability to compel people to listen to him and take him seriously (Armstrong, 2006). This is a trait that other great leaders such as FDR, Truman and Lincoln also possessed, because despite their political beliefs, they were able to command the respect of people, even those who disagreed with them, and compel them to listen. In most of his campaign speeches, Barack Obama tells voters that he will always listen to them even when he disagrees with them, he promises to think of the voters every single day and he makes no secret of the strength of his religious beliefs. He invites voters to join his campaign because it is their own campaign, which will get him into the Oval Office so that he can hear their voices and let the seeds of their dreams grow. As people contribute to the campaign and watch its success unfold, it gives them the feeling that they are providing input into the campaign. Barack Obama is able to uniquely connect with his listeners, not only through his promises to hear their voices, but through his use of rhetorical devices such as allusion, alliteration and repetition. According to Oppenheimer(2007), the best speeches are almost never wholly self contained, they possess resonance, or the ability to strike chords in the listener. . Barack Obama, in his speech announcing his Presidency, uses the rhetorical device of the rule of three. He starts with “In the face of…..” and with each sentence, highlights three different aspects that his listeners believe in. Similarly, he highlights what has been achieved so far by starting three sentences with “That’s why we…..” pointing out that the death penalty system was reformed, health insurance was provided to children, etc. Obama’s use of allusion in his speeches may be noted in the way he drew the attention of his listeners to the Declaration of Independence during the Democratic Convention of 2004. He also called his listeners to a belief in “things not seen”. All of these speaking tactics strikes a resonant note within his listeners and he is able to inspire them and make them his followers. This substantiates Willner’s view that “the Leader is perceived by the followers as somehow superhuman, and the followers blindly believe the leaders statements.” (Willner, 1984:3-8) As Zernike notes in her New York Times article, The Charisma Mandate “There is a certain kind of hubris that sets in,” where a leader is set so high on a pedestal that s/he is elevated to a status higher than other human beings. In Obama’s case, this factor may be noted again and again at his campaign rallies, especially in North Carolina, where people express their admiration and respect for his efforts to unite the country and put forth his Presidential agenda to heal the problems in the country. In her New York Times article The Charisma Mandate, Kate Zernike points out that on the campaign trail, “If you don’t talk about issues in great detail, if you do it in a way that is not the centerpiece of your campaign, of your rhetoric, then you become a blank screen,” Mr. Wilentz said. “Everybody thinks you are the vehicle of their hopes.” Obama thus further exemplifies transformational leadership, which transcends daily mundane affairs and works by enhancing the motivation of the follower through inspiring the follower’s deeper intrinsic moral and spiritual ideals (Gardner and Avolio 1998). Transformational leadership works by impressing upon followers the value and meaning of the leader’s goals (Bass 1985). Obama’s skilful rhetoric, his ability to compel people to listen to him and his ordinary, everyday person appearance uniquely qualifies him to be exactly the kind of charismatic leader Willner indicates, where a leader is followed on the strength of his personality, without much attention being paid to the issues being presented. While Barack Obama appears to have a set of policies in place which he plans to execute as President, to tackle some of the serious problems in the country, his charismatic authority derives from his ability to put out beliefs and sentiments which inspire people, rather than going into lengthy explanations of dry issues and the nitty gritty details of the specific measures he proposes to take to handle them. Thus, a great part of Barack Obama’s appeal lies in the person he is; his mass appeal stems from his universalist roots and ethnic diversity. He represents a very diverse perspective not often given the limelight in the states, which enhances the public reception of his charismatic prowess. Martha Minow addresses this in many of her writings. In her essay on identity, titled Not Only for Myself Identity, Politics, and the Law, she says, There are two kinds of people in the world…those who think there are two kinds of people, and those who do not (Minow, 1997). Her essay reveals the ever segregating nature of Western Civilization, while she takes a clear stance in favor of the universal individual. Her essay condemns all those who settle into social tribes of convenient sameness. The freshness of Barack Obama’s appeal lies in the fact that he cannot be conveniently slotted into a particular racial slot in society. He represents a shade of grey and thus a person who represents rising above the differences, his elevation to the status of a Presidential candidate while emerging from poverty and African American descent itself reminds his listeners of higher inspirational, cultural values of America and sparks hope in his followers. This provides him with a higher level of receptivity in listeners, which Willner highlights as an importance dimension in charismatic leadership. His ability to stay unruffled in the face of controversy, his willingness to talk to America’s enemies as her President, his willingness to reach across partisan lines in finding effective solutions to the country’s problems, all heighten this charisma. People are increasingly willing to follow him because his attitude is Presidential. It may thus be concluded that Obama clearly represents the kind of charismatic leadership which Willner has explained. He is a transformational leader, whose struggle with his own divisive past has rendered him fit to cope with the problems of a divisive society. The strong levels of support among his followers reflects the respect they fell for his beliefs expressed in his book, “The Audacity of Hope” that under the surface differences, Americans are similar in more ways than they are dissimilar.(Kakutani, 2006). The very fact that an African American from a poor family background has ascended to the position of a Presidential nominee itself inspires his followers. It enables people to view him as possessing the qualities of equality and opportunity for every American that are the goals of the American Constitution. He may also garner support among Republicans and the success of his fund raising efforts among members of the public shows how much people are inspired by his message of unity. It is Obama’s personality and charisma that is his claim to authority and Presidential leadership, rather than his seniority or experience for that important post; as a result he is an example of a truly charismatic leader. . Works Cited * Armstrong, John, 2006. “The growing stature of Barack Obama”, Available on URL: http://johnharmstrong.typepad.com/john_h_armstrong_/2006/10/the_growing_sta.html; May 8, 2008 * Bass, Bernard, 1985. “Leadership and Performance beyond expectations” New York: Free Press. * “Excerpts of Obama’s speech after North Carolina and Indiana Primaries” Associated Pres, May 6, 2008. Available at: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/05/06/excerpts_of_obamas_speech_after_nc_and_indiana_primaries/; Accessed May 7, 2008 * Gardner WL, Avolio BJ, 1998. The charismatic relationship: a dramaturgical perspective. Academy of Management Review, 23:32-58 * Howell JM, Frost PJ, 1989: “A laboratory study of charismatic leadership”. 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