Analysis Of Transformational And Charismatic Leadership On The Example Of Lady Diana And Elon Musk

Introduction

Leaders are important, they inspire confidence and back their followers helping achieve common goals. There are many styles of leadership and in this paper, we will analyze two styles of leadership using two different examples of leadership. Lady Diana Spencer will be our transformational leader example as her charitable work help change the lives of many worldwide, she brought international attention to causes dearest to her heart. And, Elon Musk will be our example of a charismatic leadership style because of being a visionary, entrepreneur and hardworking CEO whose team has been able to reach goals that seemed unattainable and has also got him in trouble.

Transformational Leadership

A transformational leader helps its team accomplish goals or changes that are beyond their interests. The characteristics of these leaders are important and so is their relationship with their team members. These changes happen through: Learning awareness, Looking beyond self-interest, Self-fulfillment, Becoming aware of the need for change, Committing to greatness and Trust. Lady Diana Spencer was first known for being a beautiful young British aristocrat that married Prince Charles, the heir apparent of the British throne. Her wedding to Prince Charles was televised, and millions of people watch it globally. She was a shy and beautiful British aristocrat; the media loved her and followed her every move. This incredible amount of attention was overwhelming for her at the beginning but later as she grew accustom to it, she used at to benefit the charities she was a patron of. She brought attention to international causes like HIV/AIDS, land mines affecting African Countries, Mental Health and many others. She became a leader in many ways, using the huge platform media gave her to promote many charities and also influencing her many famous friends to follow her steps. She later became known as the people’s princess, tittle which she enjoyed and stay with her beyond her death. As a part of the British Royal family, she was encouraged to work with different charities, but unlike previous royal she chose charities to whom she was attracted to. She did more than just patronage and public appearances, she was deeply dedicated to her charities and wanted to help make a change to those who were invisible to society. She challenged public perception through her leadership and hard work. She showed compassion and love and her followers loved her because she brought humanity to the British royal family.

One of Lady Diana’s most leading leadership moments was bringing awareness to the social stigma of those infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. In the 80s many believed that HIV/Aids were contagious through the simple act of touching a person infected. In an act that was to encourage compassion and understanding, Lady Diana before the world’s media, held the hand of a man suffering from this illness. From the previous example, Lady Diana Spencer showed many leadership qualities. Her personality traits of humility, authenticity, self-confidence, and trustworthiness change how many saw those suffering from Aids. She brought worldwide awareness to causes that weren’t glamorous and set an example for future generations of royal, which include both her sons. Her passion for work, courage, strong work ethics and drive paved the way for others to follow her steps. Many of his celebrity friends created charities in her name that help continue causes that were closest to her. In 2018, Elton John gave a lecture on HIV titled “The Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on HIV” to an audience that not only include health workers but also politicians and celebrities. In his speech, Elton John expressed the great contribution Diana, Princess of Wales had made to such an important cause and how her fight against the stigmas of this illness have made a lasting impact on this community. Her charity worked has been followed by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Henry, they will honor her memory by continuing her legacy.

Charismatic Leadership

Charismatic leaders are known for their personality and communication style, which will help easily gain the admiration of its followers. They will have a strong connection with their teams, and they will work hard to create a positive vision for its group members. They are also easily identified as the face of their company. They are friendly but strong, dynamic and powerful and will easily encourage their followers to accomplish common goals. Elon Musk is a well known South African entrepreneur, he is the co founder of Zip2 and Paypal companies who after being sold for millions of dollars, allowed to accumulate an immense wealth that he then used to cofound Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Tesla Motors and SolarCity. SpaceX was founded in 2002 as a company that designs, builds and launches spacecrafts. Tesla designs electric cars, solar panels and many other renewable energy products for homes, he was accredited with developing the first feasible electric car of modern era. SolarCity specializes in solar panels and their installation on residential and commercial buildings. In 2010 Elon Musk was listed in Time magazine’s 100 People Who Most Affect the World and Forbes magazine’s 20 most Powerful CEOs 40 and under. This helps him gain the trust of many of him employees and board members, and even though Tesla was not being profitable as expected, he was able to keep being the CEO. Tesla later became profitable with the construction of its Model X car.

Elon Musk is most known for founding Tesla, a company that builds electric cars with high demand and high prices, and SpaceX. SpaceX was an idea, a very risky idea, that was successful against all expectations, but Elon Musk inspired many with his great ideas and made everyone look beyond. This event makes him a charismatic leader. The ability to help his team look towards the future and work hard next to them to make an impossible idea work. As a charismatic leader, Elon Musk is also a visionary CEO. He has had many innovative ideas which have contributed in great ways not only to technological advances but better the environment like SolarCity. Elon Musk is also known for challenging and probing those under his position and even board members and even though he is can be controversial his employees have complete faith on his leadership skills. As a part of his charismatic leadership, Elon Musk has also shown the characteristic of narcissism. That has gotten him into many troubles, included a lawsuit because of his twitter account, his use of social media has also made his company’s stock lose value. He has been on the news for smoking marijuana on a live radio show, which he did without thinking of how it would affect his companies of which he is much the face. Making riskier decisions and even having a difficult personality, has helped Elon Musk be successful, all which are the characteristics of charismatic leaders.

Conclusion

Lastly, leadership is a very important part of our daily living, we are affected by the decision’s leaders make daily. Not only, the leaders in the companies we may work, but those governing the countries we live in, and the ones we trade with. To become a leader, you don’t have to be the head of an important company, but you must work hard and be truthful to you values and who you are. Leaders are transformed by the environment surrounding them, they can easily drown in it or it can help them rise to the challenge. In analyzing both Lady Diana and Elon Musk, we can find some similarities, as their styles are similar in a way. Lady Diana died at the age of 36 which is very young for a leader, but she left a legacy that has lived long and has help create change, not only for those she fought for but on the mind and heart of her followers. Elon Musk might not appear as a charismatic leader, he is not the greatest with social media or even as a speaker, but he challenges what others thought could be impossible. He was able to inspire his team to reach for what seemed unattainable goals and succeed at it. He has many characteristics of a leader and as his companies evolve so does his style. One of his most amazing leadership qualities is how hard he works. He works hand in hand with his team and it is well known that team members appreciate a hard-working leader, this inspires them to work as hard as he does.