What makes a successful leader? Are there certain traits and distinctive characteristics known as "dispositions" that make one person a leader over another? Or does the leader evolve out of the situation. In effect, this is a question of is a leader made or is he or she born? (Agle & Sonnenfeld, 1994; Conger & Kanungo, 1987).
In the self-concept-based motivational theory of charismatic leadership, George & James (1993), argue that charismatic leadership has the effect of strongly engaging followers' self-concepts in the interest of the mission articulated by a leader. The theory suggests that charismatic leaders increase the intrinsic variance of efforts and goals by linking them to valued aspects of followers' self-concepts.
Specifically, according to the theory, charismatic leaders, by verbal and symbolic behavior, raise the values and collective identities in followers' self-concepts and articulate the goals and the required efforts in terms of those values and identities (Bartone & Kirkland, 1991). Through such actions, charismatic leaders make efforts and goals more meaningful for followers and harness the motivational forces of self-expression, self-consistency, self-esteem, and self-worth.
These behaviors include such acts as interpreting the present and the past in terms of the group's values and identity, and trying to come up with an ideological mission, amplifying values and identities by using labels, slogans, and metaphors, linking the amplified values and identities to expected follower behaviors, and emphasizing the group's or organization's uniqueness and importance (Ashforth & Mael, 1989).
These behaviors rely on a leader's verbal and written communication and on symbolic devices such as rituals and ceremonies, the leader's personal behavior is also emphasized by theory (Carmines & Zeller, 1979). This category of behaviors includes such acts as displaying self-confidence, displaying high involve...