Part 3/8:
The Myth of Charismatic Leadership
Supporting this perspective are rigorous studies that challenge the traditional hype. A notable study by MIT examined European corporations over a century and revealed that high-performing company leaders were often not charismatic. In fact, leaders of lower-performing firms tended to possess more charismatic traits. The researchers found that charisma's "gift of persuasion" often enables leaders to push forward even when the company is heading in the wrong direction, accelerating potential failures.