Likeness to the Divinity? Virtues and Charismatic Leadership

Abstract

Classical virtue theory provides a fruitful framework for understanding charismatic leadership. The article outlines the theory of virtues and demonstrates the contribution of virtues to the personality traits and behaviours that are associated with charisma. The virtue of magnanimity of high-mindedness is shown to play a special role. The virtue-based perspective to charismatic leadership clarifies disagreements concerning the definition and delineation of the concept of charisma. It also provides a novel framework for analyzing and criticizing charismatic leadership trainingt programs. Finally, the article demonstrates that the dark side of charisma is a deformation caused by the absence of specific virtues such as prudence, justice or humility.