In times of crisis, leaders reveal their true leadership styles when leading their populations. Some leaders may exhibit aggressive, authoritarian behaviors, while others may be inspirational and yet take the backseat, bringing out the best in people, and exhibiting calm, pragmatic behaviors. The current crisis has its origin in the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution when the Ukrainian people chose to side with the West and thereby rejected Russian influence. This led to first the annexation of Crimea and Russian encouragement of separatism in Eastern Ukraine. More recently, this long-standing tension has boiled over and resulted in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During this period, President Volodimir Zelensky played a significant role in managing the tensions between the West and Russia. Since then, this dispute has led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which occurred in February 2022. The case and the context of leadership styles are noted in Pietsch and Westfall’s on the Washington Post, What to know about Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s TV president turned wartime leader. In response to the country’s conflict, President Zelensky of Ukraine can be defined as a charismatic leader, an emergent, and an assigned leader. While he did not carry a political title before his election, he was still an inspiration for millions of Ukrainians, thus indicating his emergent leader title. Before his
presidency, his experience in the entertainment industry gave him the artistry to captivate his followers through interpersonal communication.
It is important to consider that for citizens to trust in their leaders, they often must undergo some sort of significant instability. Stable, healthy, and wealthy citizens don’t typically submit themselves to powerful leaders; for their needs are satisfied. With the symbiotic relationship between leader and follower conspicuously identified, the question arises: how does one induce followers to accept political reform? How does one persuade, and motivate people to work for the common good, instead of going the selfish way in times of political turmoil? As demonstrated by the Russian and Ukrainian conflict, Zelensky’s charisma became an important element in his leadership style. Before his campaign and presidency, Zelensky was a performer, entertainer, and comedian. It seems peculiar that one heavily involved in an industry so far removed from politics would change paths to ultimately lead a country. Zelensky makes this transition successfully. During the pre-war period when Putin met with Zelensky and French leader Emmanuel Macron, he had them both sit on opposite ends of a massively elongated table. To this event, Zelensky responded casually, “You don’t need to keep me at a 30-meter distance. I don’t bite. I’m a normal man. Sit down with me.” (Dow Jones & Company). His carefree response highlights the cultural dichotomy of himself polarized against Putin. As Putin aims to appear powerful by being distant and intimidating, Zelenksky is precisely the opposite. He desired to be approachable and easily receptive, cooperative, and welcoming; He has a friendly yet assertive nature. Moreover, he brings a 21st-century flavor to wartime communication by utilizing social media. By providing transparency to critical war updates and delivering inspirational messages in his self-recorded personal videos, Zelensky establishes a strong relationship between his followers and himself (The Wall Street Journal). He refused to flee the
capital when the invasion began, choosing to remain in Kyiv and regularly connecting with fellow Ukrainians. He has touched his people as much as the international leaders with his deep conviction to help his country.
Alongside Zelensky’s charismatic leadership that manifests in both charm and authenticity, he has made considerable leaps in throughout his career, from an entertainer to a President and wartime hero. This success story was not spontaneous, but rather out of respect for Zelensky’s leader-like influence he had exhibited before his political career. After he began participating in comedy competitions and making television appearances, he graduated with a law degree in 2000 from Kyiv National Economic University. He then co-founded a film production company Kvartal 95, leading his rise to fame by playing the role of the Ukrainian president on the 2015 hit satirical TV show, “Servant of the People '' (Pietsch and Westfall). There is no doubt that the image he projected in this TV show as an honest and caring leader who fights against corruption inspired the Ukrainian public in the presidential elections. From this, his charisma led thirteen million Ukrainians into casting him for a vote as the new President. Not only does he carry legitimacy through his assigned leadership role, but it is deserving through his emergent-leader characteristics. During his inauguration speech, he told his parliament members, “I want you not to hang my image in your offices,”. He continues, “Hang photos of your children there, and before every decision, look them in the eye” (Pietsch and Westfall). As president in the face of adversity, he does not act like a self-important or narcissistic commander. He does not believe his position entitles him to special privileges. Instead, Zelensky argues critical decisions should be reached by consensus, at all levels of society: even at the level of the family, to whom many can connect.
While it is beneficial to shed light on the positive attributes of Zelensky’s leadership during this conflict, it is also essential to also highlight Zelensky’s pitfalls. To truly grasp the influence of his leadership style, examining Zelensky’s style and campaign techniques (before Russia invaded Ukraine) allows us to see the effective change since then. Anna Myroniuk, journalist and the head of investigations at the Kyiv Independent, shares her take on Zelensky during the 2019 Ukraine election in a Washington Post opinion article. She did not believe that “a comedian, actor, and entertainer with no experience in politics, was suited for the job”, a common opinion that many uphold when entertainers enter the campaign trail. She went on that “his campaign was idealistic but lacked substance”, and that he “loved to be loved [and was] very sensitive to media criticism” (Myroniuk, 2022). While charismatic leadership is particularly effective when implemented in authentic ways, it is important to note that too much charisma could lead one to be negatively perceived. Among several findings, Robert B. Kaiser, president of Kaiser Leadership Solutions, highlights that “being enthusiastic and entertaining could lead to attention-seeking behavior”, along with perceived narcissism, overconfidence, and manipulative behavior (Terri Williams). Kaiser’s point of over-doing charisma speaks to Zelensky’s behavior before getting into the rhythm of combatting uncertainties. On a positive note, his refusal to give up Putin’s demands to break apart Ukraine and his overall commitment to not surrender speaks to his growth from his arguably “overdone” charismatic tendencies. This tremendous shift in gaining his followers and skeptics’ validation is shown in Ukraine’s National Poll, with Zelensky’s approval ratings at 91%, triple the number it was in December (Ukraine-Research). This extensive support is a product of Zelensky’s tireless efforts to instill hope in his citizens during these turbulent times.
Ultimately, when examining Zelensky’s effectiveness through his leadership pursuits, we must recognize the path it took to achieve such high approval ratings and widespread praise. Especially for a leader as traditionally unconventional as Zelensky, seeing his rise to power through such extraordinary pursuits points to how novel experiences work in shaping one’s leadership style. His President role in “Servant of the People '' epitomized what he would soon become: By speaking out against the corrupt, lavish lifestyles of political elites and committing to transparency among his followers, perhaps he did indeed manifest his presidency and path to sweeping international admiration.
Works Cited
Dubin, Rebekah. “Assigned Leadership versus Emergent Leadership.” Leadership, 22 May 2019,
https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2019/05/22/assigned-leadership-versus-emergent-leadership/.
Mekouar, Dora. “Key Players in Ukraine Conflict Embody Distinct Leadership Styles.” VOA, Key Players in Ukraine Conflict Embody Distinct Leadership Styles, 31 Mar. 2022, https://www.voanews.com/a/key-players-in-ukraine-conflict-embody-distinct-leadership-styles-/ 6495871.html.
Myroniuk, Anna. “Opinion | I Did Not Vote for Ukraine's President. His Courage Has Changed My Mind and Inspired Millions.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 28 Feb. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/27/ukraine-russia-zelensky-president-change d-my-mind-inspired-millions/.
“National Poll: Ukraine during the War (February 26-27, 2022).” Ukraine - Research, https://ratinggroup.ua/en/research/ukraine/obschenacionalnyy_opros_ukraina_v_usloviyah_voyn y_26-27_fevralya_2022_goda.html.
Pietsch, Bryan, and Sammy Westfall. “What to Know about Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's TV President Turned Wartime Leader.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Mar. 2022,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/01/ukraine-president-volodymyr-zelensky-russi a/.
Powell, Carson. “Making Sense of Emergent Leadership.” Poole Thought Leadership, 17 Aug. 2021,
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“Who Is Volodymyr Zelensky? How Ukraine's President Got the World's Attention.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company,
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/news-explainers/who-is-volodymyr-zelensky-how-ukraines-pr esident-got-the-worlds-attention/E27E369E-8802-4B44-97C5-03491BD62717.
Williams, Terri. “Can Too Much Charisma Make a Leader Ineffective?” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper,
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