Christopher Cantwell Leadership Style

Leadership Attributes from Charlottesville

The White Nationalist, Alt-right, and neo-Nazis groups stormed Charlottesville, Virginia in protest and when the dust settled three people were dead and 19 were injured. This concerning rise of violence was lead in large majority by Christopher Cantwell, White Nationalist and speaker for “Unite the Right.” Although this was a tragedy, his leadership style lends itself to three successful personality traits for leaders.

The charisma trait is evident in Cantwell, and he embodies it in many different situations. Charisma is gained when leaders have an awe inspiring personality and a great sense of timing. They say what others can only feel, hope towards, or imagine. They enable people to see and experience

Prophetic leaders give words to the people’s ideas. Prophets know the “truth” and set a moral tone for their group. They are the people who bring information to the public to educate them on the issues and help them to find solutions. For example, Cantwell worked to inform people about the protest that would be happening and worked to make sure people knew what they were protesting. When he was talking with the reporter about what his movement was, he explained clearly that he believed that if African Americans were not in America, they would be no violence. The basis of his movement revolved around believing that much of the problems in America had to do with minority groups, and if the nation didn’t have any minority groups it would be free of terror and problems. Cantwell believes that Jews spread communism and are not trustworthy, blacks are prone to violence and unintelligent, and immigrants are going to overcome whites. Although, not everything that Cantwell said was true, he said it with confidence and determination which defined him as a leader for the cause. He uses strong langue many times sets the moral tone for this movement. Because of his derogatory language towards the ethnic minorities, the people who were attracted to this movement also used the same type of language. His language clearly communicates his disrespect and hatred for African Americans and other

Pragmatic leaders create a secure and stable foundation for the movement by bringing common sense and healthy skepticism to organizations. They work to make the movement legitimate to outsiders and focus on a goal. Cantwell showed pragmatism when he talked about how they have moved off the internet into real life. For example, the activist talk about how they are showing up and making their presence know, and they did this by holding the largest white nationalist rally in two decades. They also brought shields and torches when they marched at their rallies. Cantwell’s pragmatic ability helps him to stand out a leader for this