Charisma effectively deployed can have electrifying results.
According to Richard Wiseman, psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire, in England, you don’t need divine powers to be charismatic. He estimates that charisma is half inborn and half acquired, which means you have to be blessed with certain qualities at birth but you can also nurture and develop them.
He says every charismatic leader shares three qualities:
- He or she feels emotions very strongly,
- excites them in others and
- is impervious to the influence of other charismatic people.
But exactly what do charismatic leaders do differently? Here’s a list of traits to learn from:
1. Stretch the world: Charismatic leaders live as if only an audacious view of the future will excite people and bind them together. They also make it a point not to restrict their bold outlook to one primary aim; they extend it to almost everything they get involved in. In every undertaking they push the boundaries beyond what is ordinarily thought possible.
2. Don’t hide. Be seen: Charismatic leaders keep themselves always visible. They stand up to be counted in every crisis. They make unwavering efforts to motivate their people, whether by listening and responding to them or by working alongside them. Their constancy emboldens their people to go on, even in the darkest times.
3. Talk the talk: Charismatic leaders embrace every opportunity to convince others to adopt their vision. They make it a point always to speak in ways that convey personal integrity and engender trust.
4. Speak even when you are silent: Charismatic leaders send out the right signals through all their actions. They always appear enthusiastic and passionate and make others feel good and strong in their presence. They let people know that they matter, even if just by simple and subtle gestures such as upright posture, direct eye contact, genuine smiles and firm handshakes.
via Forbes.com.
