ABSTRACT
Charisma has become a loaded term of late because it has also become associated with dysfunctional behaviours, such as narcissism. In its original meaning charisma is associated with transformational leadership, the ability to motivate, encourage and get the very best out of people. Charismatic leadership is a group phenomenon, assigned by the group and dependent upon group cohesion. Narcissistic behaviour is often associated with high levels of charisma, particularly in the short term. For leaders to exhibit functional forms of charisma they must be highly self-reflective and invite regular feedback and criticism from colleagues and teams. In the project environment charismatic leadership is important when there is a need to motivate teams to perform seemingly impossible tasks, usually in equally impossible time-frames. Related to resilience, determination and the courage to take on, or work around any obstacles that were placed in their way, was an overriding impression.
