Leader Motives, Impression Management, and Charisma

Tanvi Shah and Zubin R. Mulla
Additional contact information
Tanvi Shah: Tanvi Shah is Employer Brand Manager at Hindustan Unilever Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: tanvi.shah@unilever.com
Zubin R. Mulla: Zubin R. Mulla (Corresponding author) is Assistant Professor at School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: zubinmulla@yahoo.co.in

Management and Labour Studies, 2013, vol. 38, issue 3, 155-184

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.

Keywords: Motives; impression management; charisma; content analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:manlab:v:38:y:2013:i:3:p:155-184

DOI: 10.1177/0258042X13509736

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