Charisma is the result of effective leadership, not the other way around.

I just returned from a conference where I had the opportunity to observe and listen to a variety of professionals speak who are in positions that are deemed leadership. While their leadership skills were of varied levels and their specific talents pretty diverse, as I sat through the sessions, I found myself thinking:

'what makes me want to keep listening to what this person has to say?' 

To what extent is their personal charisma engaging me, boring me, or causing my attention to lapse?

Looking at a few definitions of charisma sheds light on how important it is for any leader to understand his or her own unique, personal type of charisma that is impacting their leadership effectiveness:

Definition 1:
A rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm.

Definition 2:
a trait found in persons whose personalities are characterized by a personal charm and magnetism ,along with innate and powerfully sophisticated abilities of interpersonal communication and persuasion.

Definition 3:
Originally a term from Christian theology, meaning 'a favour specially given by God's grace', the word was appropriated to mean 'a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural ... or ... exceptional powers or qualities'.

These descriptions of charisma aroused in me a strong sense of caution...words like 'rare', 'fervent', 'magnetism', 'persuasion' , 'supernatural', and 'set apart' suggest that it is something dramatic, kind of theatrical in nature, and carries with it an edge of manipulation.    Not necessarily attributes we all want to cultivate.

Further to this, the speakers who engaged me the most at the conference did NOT, repeat did NOT,  display characteristics that would have been described using any of those words.
   
As I was preparing this newsletter, I asked my teenage daughter to name the teachers she's had whom she would consider charismatic.   After listing several names, I asked her to rank them and her answer was brilliant in its clarity and simplicity:

'Dad, they're all charismatic in their own way.'

At the end of the conference last week, I was comparing speaker notes with a colleague.  We both agreed that the most charismatic speaker was NOT the one who had the most eloquent speaking talents or was the best looking  or displayed the most fervent, magnetic personality.....instead we both agreed it was the one who simply and readily shared his story with us in a direct, unassuming, and open way.   My friend said it best:

'He wasn't charismatic, per se, it was his life's story that drew me in and I found very charismatic.' 
 
Try this definition on:  
One who is charismatic is said to be capable of using their personal being, rather than just speech or logic alone, to interface with other human beings in a personal and direct manner, and effectively communicate a position and vision to them.

So, a question I encourage you to think about and articulate a response to:
 
In what way or ways,  does your own charisma manifest in your professional and personal life?