Leader Motives, Impression Management, and Charisma

Abstract

Charisma is an essential part of transformational leadership; however, there are hardly any reliable ways of predicting leader charisma in an organizational context. Using a qualitative-descriptive study of two leaders—Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, we compare their charisma and impression management styles. Through a content analysis of their public speeches, we determine their motives. We find evidence to validate our proposition that a high power motive and acquisitive impression management techniques are related to charisma. Specifically we characterize Steve Jobs as a personal-power manager and Bill Gates as an achievement oriented manager. Implications for practice are discussed.