I consider the current US president Barack Obama to be a charismatic leader. The first reason why Obama is a charismatic leader is that his political rhetoric is always suffused with optimism. Charismatic leaders are always transformational leaders. They are able to give their audience something to hope for in their speeches. Obama always knows how to motivate audiences into believing that the future can be better than the present moment. It all lies in his ability to articulate a vision that everyone can share with.
Charismatic leaders have a way with words that makes them interdependent with their followers. They feed as well as energize each other; the leader shapes the agenda while the audience responds by paying attention, cheering, clapping and so on (Manning & Curtis, 2005).. As a transformational leader, Obama uses this trait to maintain interaction with the audience during public speeches and election campaigns. This helps increase his popularity. He uses this opportunity to convey the message of new possibilities, just like charismatic leaders before him such as Martin Luther and Mahatma Gandhi did.
The second reason that makes Obama charismatic is his acting ability. Acting ability in this sense means the ability to adapt to different environments all the time. A charismatic leader is always able to present himself according to the demands of the present situation, whether he is in a playground or in a boardroom (Atwater, Penn & Rucker, 1993). For charismatic leaders such as Barack Obama, such ability appears to manifest itself naturally, and in a flawless manner.
The third reason that qualifies Obama as a charismatic leader is a good temperament and strong character. These character traits enable people to live in the assurance that there is a negligible risk of demagoguery in their leader. Obama comes out as a leader who can deliver results even in times of great challenge. His extraordinary capacity to give inspiration puts him in a position where he can articulate sound policy ideas in a convincing manner.
