Do You Want To Be A Rock Star Boss?
Charismatic leadership is something we’re seeing a lot in business. Numerous CEOs think of themselves as celebrities, cultivating rock star-like social media profiles. It’s hardly surprising. First, after generations of remote, grey bosses heading strict hierarchies, businesses are much more informal now. Second, our Western culture worships celebrity. And thirdly, in the current business and world climate, people are insecure. They want leaders they can believe in.
In this article, we take a ‘360’ glimpse at charismatic leadership and what it means in business. As we’ll see, it’s not really about posing on social media and ego trips. If anything, it’s the exact opposite. And the good news is, anyone can become more charismatic, be they introvert or extrovert. Read this and maybe you can develop some charismatic traits to help your working life.
Give Yourself a Charisma Present
With so much importance placed on charisma these days, the grey business leaders of old seem like dinosaurs. But the change wasn’t sudden. A handful of individuals like Lee Iacocca and Sam Walton have helped transform the face of modern-day leadership since WW2. In his book, The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership, Harvard Business School Professor Richard Tedlow examines how it happened.
Professor Tedlow’s book brings the story bang up to date with the rise of today’s superstar CEOs. But don’t be put off by Elon Musk and the rest’s god-like status! Charismatic leadership doesn’t depend on wealth or position. You start with strong communication skills and persuasiveness. And crucially, you need to be present and have a degree of charm. These are soft skills everyone can cultivate.
Here’s the thing. Regardless of their higher status, in their personal interactions, true charismatic leaders treat others as valued equals. They put them at ease. We’ll hear soon from Status Quo’s Francis Rossi how the Queen did when she awarded him the OBE. Rock on!
It’s Important To Appreciate – Charismatic Leadership isn’t The Same as Transformational Leadership
Thinking about our favourite rock stars, in their pomp they may become charismatic leaders of a kind. But on their way up, they’re really more like transformational leaders. They have a musical vision, and when performing, they have charisma. But offstage they’re focused on helping their bandmates improve and reach another level. Just like when you’re running a small business. So aim to be charismatic, but be honest with yourself about your situation and where you want to be. And stay humble.
Why is Charismatic Leadership Effective?
Charismatic leadership is effective because it inspires higher levels of performance. And it instils confidence, trust and satisfaction. Psychologically, it appeals to our longing for attachment, security and fulfilment. When charismatic leaders open up to us, we feel comfortable with them, because we invest in trust. And this trust brings us onto the downside of charisma, which we need to know about and beware of.
We’re drawn to charismatic leaders. But when they disappoint us, we can feel betrayed. A better understanding of charismatic leadership can help us safeguard ourselves from becoming too enchanted.
What are the Qualities of a Charismatic Leader?
Charismatic leaders are generally held to have the following qualities:
- Confidence: Many powerful and successful leaders exude confidence.
- Creativity: Charismatic leaders think outside the box, and aren’t afraid to take risks.
- Vision: They see the way forward when those around them can’t.
- Determination: The vision will come into being, on their watch.
- Communication: They excel at sharing their vision, and spreading enthusiasm about it.
Why is Charismatic Leadership the Best Kind?
The list we just looked at is all well and good. But it doesn’t mention the emotional connection that’s central to this.
Charismatic leadership appeals to team members’ personal feelings. This kind of leader is willing to change their communication style, in line with what they sense their employees are feeling. They ‘read the room,’ the office or wherever. And they lead, but keep their eye on the overall picture. Charismatic leaders connect with their employees, but they’re not passive people pleasers, they’re self-aware and assertive. And they’re still in charge.
You Can Make Yourself More Charismatic if You Work on it
As we’ve been saying, charismatic leaders display both social and leadership skills that engage and persuade others. And the good news is, they have behaviour traits you can learn.
If you get it wrong, chances are people will see you as insincere and false. But if you act naturally and apply yourself, you can increase your charisma. Here’s how:
12 Traits That Make You Charismatic
1. Self-awareness
You know what’s important to you, and what you want to achieve, but you’re also aware of your shortcomings, and how you come across to others. However, not everyone’s going to like you, for sure. And the people around you won’t always say what they think of you to your face. But when they do, listen to their criticisms, discern, and learn.
2. Warmth
Showing warmth inspires people’s trust.
3. Competence
People know you’ll do the job that needs to be done. And getting the balance right between competence and warmth conveys authenticity. That goes down well.
4. Relaxed and Open Body Language
People assess whether they can trust you in the first five minutes of an interaction, because it’s down to body language. That’s one of the pointers in Vanessa Van Edwards’ new book Cues: The Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. It’s worth a read.
5. Active Listening
Engage people by paying attention to every word they say.
6. Playful
Find the fun! Remember to be human, because business doesn’t always have to be serious.
7. Self-Control
Regulate your emotions, be aware of what you’re feeling, and take care not to be reactive or impulsive. Because, it’s good to have a bit of moderation and self-discipline.
8. Humble
This might be difficult if you’re proud of the position you’ve reached in your business. Because, to be truly charismatic, you should treat everyone the same, regardless of their status. And be polite and warm to everyone.
9. Maintain Good Eye Contact
Hold people’s gaze as appropriate, and be natural, but direct. Then, read the other person’s body language and see if they’re comfortable with you.
10. Share and Spread Praise
Be generous with your appreciation. Treat others how you’d like to be treated.
11. Remember People’s Names
You’ll endear yourself to people around you by remembering their names and calling them by them. And they’ll remember you, too.
12. Socialise in Comfortable Situations, and Put Others at Ease
Know your social limits. You won’t be charismatic if you’re feeling awkward! And if other people feel awkward and out of place, put them at their ease as well.
Now That’s What I Call Charismatic Leadership!
Charismatic leaders are outstanding people, according to this list:
- Visionary: Able to imagine different and better conditions, and ways to achieve them.
- Masterful communication skills: Versed in communicating complex ideas and goals in clear compelling ways, so everyone in the business can understand them.
- Shared capability: Able to make the group of people feel capable of doing great things
- Energetic and action-oriented: They get the job done, and bring others with them
- Romanticise risk: There’s a chance it may not work, but they make it sound compelling.
- Unconventional strategies: The way they plan to do things can take people out of their comfort zones
- Dramatic and unique: People remember these individuals.
Second List
Put them together and these qualities sound somewhat overpowering. Charismatic leadership needs to be nuanced and needs to be sustainable. Here’s a second list of qualities. These sound more restrained, but still, achieve a great impact:
- Have a vision: Articulate about expressing it and idealising it.
- Prepared to take a personal risk: Willing to engage in self-sacrifice to achieve the vision.
- Environmentally sensitive: Able to make realistic assessments of the constraints and sensitivities of the business environment they’re in.
- Sensitive to people’s needs: Perceptive of others’ abilities and responsive to their needs and feelings.
- Behave Unconventionally: They engage in behaviours which are novel and counter to the norms but in a good way.
This second list of characteristics could just as easily describe the founder of a start-up as a superstar CEO. You certainly need charisma, to bring people on board in a small business. After all, every business has to start somewhere. So who knows where you could end up?
Health Warning: Charismatic Leadership Can Seem Too Good To Be True
After 70 years in the job, the Queen is an expert at putting people at their ease. Status Quo’s Francis Rossi described being awarded the OBE in 2010 as the most exceptional moment of his career. As reported in NME, he happily played for 50,000 people, but found talking to the Queen one-to-one nerve-wracking. However, he said she was genuinely interested, and put him at his ease.
Her Majesty has extraordinary charisma, but she’s not usually the first person people name as a charismatic leader. The ones that usually come up are Martin Luther King Jr, Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler. And the last of these brings us to why charismatic leaders can be so controversial.
Left Unchecked, Charismatic Leadership Can Turn toxic.
Organisations benefit from charismatic leaders because they encourage and inspire the people around them to do their best work. But the fact is, charismatic leaders can be also challenging. That’s especially true when they believe their own rhetoric and lack self-awareness about their shortcomings.
As leaders advance, their position can become increasingly remote. There’s no one they trust to point out the likely disastrous consequences of their plans. And they might not want to listen if there was. Dr Tasha Eurich’s excellent book Insight has plenty of stories about charismatic leaders’ lack of self-awareness leading to disaster. It’s well worth reading.
Taking Charisma To The MAX
If you’re interested in developing a ‘360’ view of this complex subject, another interesting writer is the sociologist Max Weber. Back in the 1920s, he identified these four types of charismatic leaders:
Type #1: Socialised Charismatic Leaders:
- Restrict their use of power to benefit others.
- Work to bring group members’ values in line with theirs.
- Formulate and pursue goals that fulfil group members’ goals and stimulate them.
- Allow their followers to be autonomous, empowered and responsible.
Type #2: Personalised Charismatic Leaders
- Primarily serve their own interests and exercise few restraints on their use of power.
- Impose self-serving goals on others and only offer consideration and support when it suits them.
- Expect their followers to be obedient, submissive and dependent.
Type #3: Office Holder Charismatic Leaders
- Their leadership is more to do with the position they hold than their personal qualities.
- They tend to be seen by others as lacking charisma, in the usual sense.
Max Weber also identified another type of charismatic leader. These are the ones who pose the really serious challenges, and not just for businesses.
Type #4: Divine Charismatic Leaders
In 1924 Max Weber defined this last form of charismatic leader as a mystical, narcissistic and personally magnetic saviour. Mystical and narcissistic are highly emotive words, of course, but you can see where he was coming from. 1924 was a time of widespread global upheaval, therefore leading to the emergence of some terrible leaders.
In Weber’s theory, this kind of leader arises in response to a social crisis, equipped with exceptional personal qualities. They have a radical vision that provides a solution to the crisis and attracts followers who believe in the vision. And they perceive the leader to be extraordinary. The problem comes when the followers’ devotion makes the leader dangerous, whether it’s in a business or anywhere else.
And Finally: A Rounded View of Charismatic Leadership
Hopefully not too many business leaders’ followers are so devoted that they’re prepared to follow them over a cliff. But people still want to have leaders to inspire them. So it’s good to be aware of the pros and cons of this leadership style, whatever perspective you come to.
Everyone has a different perspective, but as Stephen R. Covey writes, the way you see a problem can actually BE the problem. Charismatic leadership isn’t bad in itself, but there are some definite caveats. So let’s start with the negatives, and come to the positives.
Disadvantages of Charismatic Leadership…
- You’re dependent on the leader’s energy levels.
- It can prevent new learning from happening if everyone follows the leader and neglects their growth opportunities.
- Followers’ value systems change as time goes on: they may find themselves agreeing to things they wouldn’t previously.
- Charismatic leadership isn’t a style that fits into a rigid structure.
- It can be used to advance selfish ambition.
Advantages of Charismatic Leadership
- It’s a leadership style that creates an emotional appeal and affection.
- People are encouraged to think differently.
- Turnover rates decrease within an organisation.
- It can be used to create a positive influence on society.
- Charismatic leaders encourage people to learn from their mistakes.
- People have a shared identity and can make the impossible possible.
You Can Definitely Try This at Home
If you want to become more charismatic in your working life, why not start by working on your self-awareness and your body language? As we said earlier, people assess whether they can trust you during the first five minutes of an interaction, because it’s down to body language. That’s one of the pointers in Vanessa Van Edwards’ new book, Cues: The Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. But be self-aware about it. Don’t try too hard, or people might think you’re odd!
As a final takeout, think of charismatic leadership as a leadership style, where leaders share their vision, using charm and persuasiveness. Start building up your charisma by being charming and persuasive!
