Why Are Charismatic Leaders Often Alpha Males?

Edward Brown, M.S., of Core Edge Image & Charisma Institute provides questions and answers about how and why charismatic leaders are often viewed as Alpha males.

Q: This is almost a “no brainer,” but are charismatic leaders typically Alpha males?

Brown: First, it behooves me to define what an Alpha male is. Dictionary.com defines an Alpha male as “The dominant male animal or person in a group.” Consequently, since the charismatic leader will often be the dominant personality in a group or organization, he will typically be an Alpha male.

Q: Is this dominance mental or physical?

Brown: Often, it may be either or both. Essentially, the charismatic leader sets the course of a mission or crusade and people basically fall in line due to the force and passion of the charismatic leader’s personality.

Q: Since this seems to hinge on influence and persuasion in civil societies, the Alpha male will have to use more brain than brawn. Do you agree?

Brown: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, the charismatic leader as Alpha male would have less or at least short term success, if he relied on force as a legitimate means for establishing and maintaining power.

Q: Since people often demand consensus and an equal voice in decisions, how effective is the Alpha male trait in charismatic leaders for consensus building?

Brown: It depends on the situation and who is willing to assume responsibility for achieving a goal.  The operative word is “voice.” It does not mean that merely having a voice carries any real power. A child can have a tantrum, but at the end of the day, he’s going to do what his parents tell him to do. Voices and tantrums are great stress relievers, but they don’t convey any real power. Someone still has to rally the people to get things done.  Typically, accomplishing this feat will not be done by the masses.

Q: So, are you saying that the masses are children and the Alpha male (charismatic leader) is the parent?

Brown: In some respect, yes. Many people cannot even govern their own lives, how could they possibly govern others? The charismatic leader as Alpha male is willing to make decisions and assume the responsibilities for ensuring an idea moves from plan to practice. Just like children, the masses like leisure and play, but not the responsibilities in life that require accountability. Any challenges in society that have gone unresolved, often will be addressed by someone courageous and forceful enough to find solutions. This individual is often a charismatic leader.

Related: Charisma

The Inner Game of Charismatic Leaders

Edward Brown, M.S., of Core Edge Image & Charisma Institute provides questions and answers on the mental inner workings of charismatic leaders.

Q: In the past, you said that your core passion was getting into the minds of charismatic leaders. How do you do that?

Brown:  I essentially observe the behavior of individuals who have a preternatural way of capturing imaginations that appear surreal to the average individual. Once I lock into what these individuals are doing, I attempt to explain behavior by using the tenets found in philosophy, psychology, sociology, history, and theology. 

Q: So, what are charismatic leaders doing consciously or subconsciously to be successful in their endeavors?

Brown: Fundamentally, charismatic leaders solve problems they find compelling.  If there is a difference between the charismatic leader’s approach to a problem compared to the average individual, it is that the charismatic leader becomes a zealot for the solution.  The average person does not care that much about the solution to a problem to make it a cause.

Q: What is the charismatic leader’s “inner game?”

Brown:  The charismatic leader’s inner game is Machiavellian or amoral in that whatever is required to achieve certain results will be utilized.  People and resources become expendable to achieve a goal.

Q: Well, that doesn’t sound positive or does it?

Brown: Conventional wisdom suggests that people should not be used to facilitate an objective. However, in every human endeavor throughout the world, people are being expended to facilitate a particular result every day. On some level, whether it’s a question of war, security or finance, people are being used to affect the will of the nation state. Charismatic leaders do a better marketing job of gaining greater commitments by inspiring the hearts and minds of individuals around an objective.

Q: What do charismatic leaders understand more deeply than traditional leaders?

Brown:  Charismatic leaders have an understanding that men have a will to power. Nietzsche said that God was dead and all that was left was the amoral superman.  In some respect, the charismatic leader is the amoral superman. Charismatic leaders address the hard-wired need of people to worship heroes as postulated by philosopher Thomas Carlyle. If there isn’t a God, people will invent one.  The insatiable need for charismatic leaders to understand human nature underscores their clarity of purpose. The relationship is symbiotic, the people want to adore a leader and the charismatic leader wants to be adored.

Q: What happens when the human frailties of charismatic leaders overtake their God-like persona?

Brown: The charismatic leader that goes so far as to believe his own hype usually causes his own demise.  Followers will either become disillusioned and lose faith or consciously overlook the frailties of the leader and focus on his iconic exploits.  Either way, there is a seismic shift in the social landscape when the charismatic leader departs, unlike any other leadership model.

Related: Charisma