As leadership is widely recognised to be a social process that depends on both leaders and followers, Lord et al (1999) state "yet the follower remains an under explored source of variance in understanding leadership processes." In a project conducted by Ehrhart and Klein (2001) they argued that a neglected area of research into leadership effectiveness is research into the disposition of the followers who form charismatic relationships with their leaders. As they go on to say, while research may give the impression that charismatic leaders cause their subordinates to perform at new heights, many authors emphasize that charismatic leadership is best conceptualized not as something a leader does to his or her followers, but rather as a relationship between the leader and his or her followers. That is, as a process that exists only in interpersonal relationships.

Lord et al (1999) write that at an interpersonal level, our perceptions of how we are perceived by others serve as the primary source of our self-views. Given his or her relative status and power in organizations, as well as the fact that the leader is an important source of self-referent feedback, the reflected appraisal of one’s superior is likely to be especially important in forming self-views.

As has been noted by Lord and Maher (1991; cited by Lord, R.G., et al. (1999)), leadership can be defined as a perceptual process within subordinates. Lord et al. (1999) go on to say that clearly, the self identity that is created by leaders can have important implications not only for the behavior that is engaged in by followers, but also on the leadership's perceptions of followers. In this regard Lord et al. (1999) view the relationship between leaders' behaviors, followers’ self identity, and followers’ perceptions as a dynamic process. That is, the identities those leaders create and the manner in which leaders are evaluated cannot be viewed as mutually exclusive phenomena, but rather as intricately related and mutually influencing processes. Self-and-other awareness, empathy and active listening skills enhance this mutually influencing process.

Lord et al. (1999) go on to to say that as a result of this relationship, the self-identity that is created in followers serves to link theories of leadership that focus on the influence of leaders with those that view leadership as a perceptual phenomenon. Within the field of leadership research, the role of emotional intelligence, self-and-other awareness, empathy and active listening skills could prove useful. These skills, that could help to improve any perceptions that were misleading, have been put to the bottom of the research drawer. It is as Yukl states (2002: 197) "As yet there is only a limited amount of research to support the proposed relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness; the focus seems to have been on charismatic and transformational attributes and the visionary traits of these leaders."