Followers are more likely to attribute charisma to leaders when they feel a strong need for change, often in the context of a personal, organizational, or social crisis. For example, the British public did not regard Winston Churchill as a charismatic leader in 1939, but, a year later, his vision, confidence, and communication skills gave him charisma, given Britons’ anxiety after the fall of France and the Dunkirk evacuation.
而追随者们在感觉需要做出变革——在个人，组织或者社会遭遇危机的时候——更容易在领导人身上发现魅力。以丘吉尔为例，1939年时英国公众并不觉得此人有何魅力，但就在一年后法国沦陷以及敦克尔克大撤退的恐慌之中，丘吉尔的远见，信心以及沟通技巧则令他充满了魅力。一直到1945年，随着公众的注意力从赢得战争转向建立一个福利国家，丘吉尔也只得离任。他的魅力并未预测到自身的下台，而追随者们需求的变化却导致了这一点。