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Real Charisma, Clinton Style
What exactly is Charisma? Most would agree that it is a magical, illusive, personal quality, divinely endowed on some people more than others. One thing is for certain, it is more easily identified than defined. It is the secret to being liked and agreed with by others. It is the much sought-after quality that causes people to envy others because of their congeniality and ease at which they interact with people. Charisma, like many other character traits, may be gifted more to some, but regardless of your given level, charisma, like any other skill, can be further developed. It is officially defined as "an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion" and "a personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others." Other definitions describe it as "a gift, the ability to charm or influence people" and "appeal, magnetism, presence and leadership ability." Dr. Tony Alessandra defines charisma as "the ability to influence others positively by connecting with them physically, emotionally, and intellectually." Harvard anthropologist Charles Lindholm defines it as "above all, a relationship, a mutual mingling of the inner selves of leader and follower." Charisma certainly has several key components, Dr. Alessandra choosing to summarize them as intellectual, physical and emotional. Intellectual charisma is often characterized by an impressive vocabulary and an ability to draw out the best and most thoughtful ideas from others. A well-read person with an impressive and resonating speaking style is usually associated with being very charismatic. A person who is extremely well educated but not arrogant might too be considered as charismatic. Leadership ability is often associated with charisma. Physical charisma is often evident simply because of ones commanding presence and impressive physical stature. It may also be embellished by the relative attractiveness of that person, whether male or female. A great handshake, a confident, articulate voice and positive eye contact that conveys "I am interested in learning more about you and respect you immensely" are all means of conveying charisma. Great posture, proximity and even wardrobe all adds to a persons' charismatic quotient. Emotional charisma is conveyed by a sense of being a deep thinker or one who is willing to ponder the larger picture. These people have a tendency to bring out the best in the rest of us by causing us to dig deeper emotionally and seek out better answers to the challenges in life. They see more in us than we sometimes see in ourselves. They are both motivating and captivating people. Charismatic people have a "twinkle" or "sparkle" in their eye. You know what I mean. They have the essence of a positive and energizing manner of thought and immediately are able to transfer that feeling to others. These traits allow the charismatic person to connect easily with others. A charismatic person will illuminate a room by simply walking into it. We have all experienced this feeling as we have personally witnessed the change of mood or emotional intensity in a room simply because of the presence of an individual who has just entered. A great example of a well known charismatic person is former president Bill Clinton. Whether or not you agree with his politics or antics, most people would agree that he might arguably be one of the most charismatic leaders of our time. Why? Was he always correct? Did he have the total support of the Congress or the American people? Did other world leaders always see things his way? Was he faultless? Of course he was not. He was never any of those things. What President Clinton has is an uncanny ability to persuade people to his point of view. He has the ability to make a connection with people at all levels by being sincerely interested in them. His influence on others is profound. He has a commanding physical presence, yet maintains a boyish charm. He is extremely intelligent and well-read. He is articulate yet not at all condescending. Many would describe him as handsome. He has possessed and experienced the power of the Presidency of the United States. He also has that "sparkle" in his eye. The man has great charisma! Can you be charismatic like President Clinton? Certainly you can. You already have some charisma, certain strengths and abilities that others find attractive. Develop these. Look people in the eye. Listen carefully when you are conversing. Take a genuine interest in their point of view. Be quick to forgive minor errors and sincerely issue compliments and polite gratitude where appropriate. You may not be able to do anything about your physical stature, but you can still have a commanding presence by means of your confidence level, your posture, your voice and your eye contact. Charisma is not merely a gift from God that was bestowed upon some people, but given to all. You have some charisma, just like President Clinton. Determine your strengths and build on those first. Target other areas where you would like to grow and get busy. Making the effort to further develop your charisma is truly gratifying and will surely pay you back in spades. Daniel Sitter is the author of the popular, breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit. Designed for busy people, this new book teaches simple, step-by-step accelerated learning skills, demonstrating exactly how to learn anything faster than ever before. It's currently available from the author's web site http://www.learningforprofit.com/ and a variety of online software and book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications. His expertise includes sales, marketing, self-improvement and general business interests.
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Coaching Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 6, Deadlocked Discussions Although a meeting is a vehicle for resolving differences, it can break down when the participants become mired in a disagreement. It Begins Like This Jonathan was drunk multiple times before ever completing elementary school; his father fed him bourbon so Jonathan would resist less while being sexually molested. On the night his mother was released from jail, Jonathan rode eagerly by his father's side to pick her up. Pulling off at a rest stop, his father convinced Jonathan to stay in the car while he went inside to make a phone call. None of Us Arrived with an Owners Manual: A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 2) Why did not I get an Owner's Manual Partnership: Choose It or Lose It Charlotte decides to do good. Charlotte is a highly motivated worker. Something has been bothering her lately, something about the structure of the work flow that's causing redundancy, misallocation of resources, costly errors, and diminished productivity. On her own she does a careful study of the situation and convinced that she is on to something, she spends her evenings writing a detailed report that includes her observations, the apparent costs to the system, evidence of mismanagement (she is a bit caustic here), her vision of how the work flow should be structured, along with the steps she feels would turn things around and assure success. In the end, this is a detailed report, meticulously done, twenty-five single-spaced pages, with charts and graphs. Charlotte is proud of her work, the fact that she did this at her own initiative and on her own time, and she is truly excited about making a positive contribution to the organization. Charlotte finishes her report and sends it to the company president. And then she waits. And she waits. Certainly there will be a phone call, a meeting, some acknowledgment of her contribution, a bonus maybe, even a promotion wouldn't be out of the question. Something. But nothing comes. A week goes by. Two weeks. Still nothing. Hope wanes, and a bitterness begins to settle in. Those executives, she thinks, they go off to these programs on partnership or leadership or empowerment; they learn all the right words, but in the end it doesn't mean anything. It's more of the same old arrogance of top management. They really don't care. And this marks the end of Charlotte as a highly motivated worker. She is angry; she has her evaluations (all negative) of the president; she is feeling very righteous -- I did the right thing and what did it get me? -- and she has lost interest in pursuing her productivity project. What's the point? she asks. That's the last time I'll go out of my way for this company, Leadership Push vs. Pull? At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion. The Best Ways To Multiply The Extraordinary Leadership in Your Organization Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for the organization to grow and make the maximum impact that it can, the leadership base in the organization must grow first and grow strong enough to hold the growth. If this does not happen, the organization will either not grow or will grow and then crumble because there is no solid foundation of leadership. The effort to multiply leadership must be ongoing and purposeful. Here are some ways to get your leadership base growing strong and wide! The Three Faces of Leadership This article was published in the Nov. 2003 edition of Hamilton, Ontario's BIZ Magazine under the title "Leadership's Triple Crown" LM 3 Ds For Leadership Action... Dedicate, Direct, Dialogue! "...And winged hope, with heart of fire, To gain the bliss of thy desire." - William Winter Strengthening Leadership Development with Employees Within every business lies a network of people who are working to make their employer successful. Because growing business requires more employees, employers need to seek prospective candidates who will align well with their business. Some businesses prefer to promote employees internally; and it can be very beneficial for their company. Keep in mind of three ways a business might want to hire internally. These reasons not only help with the growth of the business but enhance leadership development with their employees. Celebrating Successes: The Power Of Compliments Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a veteran administrator decided to share his self-described secret of success. He said: You have to be careful, Bill. I*ve learned not to compliment my people. Makes them too self-assured, and they get lax in their work habits. Better to keep them guessing. What Kind of Leader Are You? There are literally millions of words written and spoken each week on enlightened leadership yet the fact remains that low morale, high stress and job dissatisfaction continue to be three of the most serious problems facing the workplace. We seem to be so effectively socialized into top down leadership that we find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change our autocratic ways. All this in spite of the many workshops and seminars on new leadership paradigms which are rooted in the empowerment of people. F2 Leadership People don't leave jobs; they leave bosses. -- Anonymous Having Fun In Leadership "Don't measure your life by your goals, but rather by what you are DOING to achieve them." ?Unknown Who Is Randy Gage and Why Is He One of My Mentors and Heroes? Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in a newsletter by his friend, and another of my mentors and heroes, Stuart Goldsmith. The Personality of Leadership Have you ever wondered what type of person or personality makes the best leader? Most would consider the answer to that question to be the person that has the greatest success, the largest organization, or the best staff. Conversely, have you ever wondered how it is that a person with little drive or entrepreneurial skills ends up in a leadership position? You know the type person I am writing about, a person that could not lead a dog on a walk, but has been given the responsibility of leading a large and well-established organization. Creating Unlimited Belief for Success! What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"? Value Driver Leadership CHAPTER 1 ************ VALUE Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths Have you noticed that across the business world people are recognizing that we are fast outgrowing the thinking and language of hierarchy, but we're also struggling to create a new, more collaborative future? The challenge for all is to figure out how to operate in this emerging paradigm-the one that our own efforts are helping to shape. Be the Samurai Sword Relationships are constantly facing crisis. Everywhere we look people are in dispute with one another. Companies are in dispute with one another. Countries are even in dispute with one another. Listening Like a Leader Our studies of the most effective people in corporate America show that the top 2 percent are effective not because they executed best practices well. They did not make the most phone calls or have the best processes. They simply understood the truth about trust:
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