Blog Four

Max Weber, in his writings, described power and authority. Power is the likelihood that your demands are obeyed; a domination. Authority is a type of power; a legitimate domination. People are accepting of it. Weber highlights three types of authority:

1.      Rational

2.      Traditional

3.      Charismatic

Traditional authority is all about doing things the way they have always been done. Usually, these traditions are passed down from generation to generation, and also consist of religion and beliefs. Rational authority is about laws and knowledge. Charismatic authority is all about exercising a compelling inspiring charm. This person or group is fascinating and strong in character.

I think charismatic authority is specifically intriguing. I looked up ten influential charismatic leaders on the web, just for fun, and came up with this list:

10. Napoleon Bonaparte

9. Fidel Castro

8. Winston Churchill

7. Mahatma Ghandi

6. Adolf Hitler

5. Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. Malcolm X

3. Nelson Mandela

2. Joseph Stalin

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt

These aren’t in any specific order of importance. A charismatic leader is said to possess certain traits, such as: self-confident, inspirational, articulate, revolutionary, and being supportive. As anyone can tell, most of these listed people are political leaders. They served as leaders of countries, leaders of civil rights movements, and sometimes, leaders of genocides. All of these individuals possessed charisma. I found a video on youtube which reminded me that some of the most charismatic speakers aren’t famous people at all, they’re blended into society with all of us. This college professor speaks at graduation about the cancer he was diagnosed with and the advice he has for students. I think some of the best speeches can bring tears to someone’s eyes. These speeches usually can relate to each and every one of us and in this video in particular, I felt like it was my dad talking to me about life, because he was relatable and very commendable. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WmryhioApY).