Confidence and charisma are widely regarded as positive attributes in a leader, with such characteristics regarded as useful in conveying a message and convincing of its merits.

Of course, it is not solely positive, with a study conducted in 2014 finding that confidence can be a particular flaw in a leader.  It found that such charismatic and confident leadership can result in feedback being drowned out and ignored, thus preventing the leader, and their organization, from learning.

Overbearing leadership

A recent study, published by researchers at the University of Cambridge, found that charismatic leaders can have an overbearing presence on their organizations.

The study found that a charismatic leader can cause their followers to suppress their emotions, which reduces job satisfaction and the potential for collaboration.  As such, ‘awestruck’ followers seldom benefit the organization in the long-term.

The study, which tracked several hundred participants from Germany and Switzerland, looked specifically at how followers regulate their emotions when working under a charismatic leader.

“Emotion suppression is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes,” the authors say. “The problem is that for emotions to be suppressed, our brain needs to allocate resources to self-regulation processes that allow us to appear calm and collected on the outside when on the inside we are emotionally stimulated.”

The spreading of our mental resources

Suffice to say, when our brain is keeping up this pretense, its resources are not then available for other mental tasks such as coming up with innovative ideas or remembering important tasks.

“So while we are awestruck – overwhelmed with the emotions that charismatic leaders stir and yet too intimidated to express these emotions – we are impaired in our mental abilities,” the researchers say. “That makes us vulnerable to the influence of charismatic leaders, and likely impairs our own effectiveness in dealing with work challenges.”

So, if you are a charismatic leader, what can you do?  Well it isn’t all bad, and the authors reveal that the negative effects of charismatic leadership can be buffered by things such as individualized support such as mentoring and coaching.

The combination of a charismatic style and a supportive style is therefore the ideal mix, as they can unite people with a charismatic message, but also solicit their advice and input.

“While charisma can help leaders establish power and exert influence, it may be intimidating to those who look up to them for guidance and inspiration,” the authors conclude. “To leverage the full potential of their followers, leaders need to balance charismatic appeal with the consideration of each follower’s individual needs. And for those who find themselves awestruck by the charisma of their leader, remember that even the most charismatic person is only human.”