ABSTRACT
Beginning in the 1960s, Charismatic Leadership Theory (CLT) argued that human followers are naturally attracted to leaders who possess a mysterious collection of traits and/or skills called charisma. This chapter will address three main issues. First, it will argue that charismatic leadership has always involved both biological traits and acculturated skills. Second, it will explain why, throughout most of human history, charismatic political leaders could not maintain leadership without effectively fulfilling follower expectations. Third, this chapter will raise the question of how/why the cultural changes wrought by global information technologies may have revived charismatic leadership and the perception of perpetual “distress” among vulnerable followers.
