John Stewart and Stephen Colbert could be considered only as comedians and nothing more. However, they have a huge following, not only from people watching their shows, but also from people attending their Rally to Restore Sanity. This rally was held last fall in Washington DC where many partisan rallies are also held. The aim of the Rally to Restore Sanity was to show that there are more people who are in the middle than the number of people who are extreme conservatives, liberals, etc. and we should all work together to solve the problems that we are facing instead of bashing each other.
The leadership approach that Colbert and Stewart are possessing in this situation is Transformational Leadership. You could also argue for Authentic Leadership, but the nature of their shows and the rally would make that difficult as they are normally “in character” when they are in public. They are concerned with the values and emotions that their followers have and are trying to influence them in such a way that they develop into something better than what they currently are. They are also trying to get non-followers to follow them to see the benefits of working together.
It is also apparent that they both possess charisma. If this was not true, they would not have such a large following and so many people would not have showed up to the rally if they did not possess this quality.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/31/avlon.rally.sanity/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/31/avlon.rally.sanity/index.html?iref=allsearch
Liz Higgins
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