Being Mr. or Ms. Charisma
Charisma is an extraordinary quality of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires steadfast loyalty. A person who has some heavenly endowed blessing, admirable talent, or compelling allure is marked as charismatic. This is the Webster concept of charisma, and generally it falls short of capturing the true essence of this leadership attribute. Without a doubt, it can set fire to the creative imagination. It’s a celestial bequest or exquisite feature bestowed on a few blessed individuals. It’s more than Piolo Pascual or Angel Locsin sex appeal that captivates. Its influence upon others will reveal that charismatic leadership has to be more than charm, and definitely less than manna from heaven showered upon the chosen.
The concept of charisma has its origins in religious conviction, and is described as communicating through one’s core set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. Quickly it migrated into a more accepted, worldly use when Max Weber, founder of modern sociology, borrowed the term to define a type of leadership trait that enables a leader to touch the hearts and minds of people.
Some people seem to be born with charisma, which comes out naturally. But psychologists believe that all humans have hidden reserves of charisma raring to come out, grow and get nurtured. Even better, many facets of charisma, like other human behaviors, can be learned. People who have it often become more successful than those who don’t, and as top positions in any public or private organization get scarce and competition becomes more cutthroat, lack of charisma can bring you nowhere.
There are countless reasons why, for example, one political candidate beats another in an election, or one company vice president gets promoted to the presidency over another. All things equal, the intangible yet forceful supremacy of charisma is the one factor that spells distinction. It is not, however, the encompassing, foolproof building block towards success, since a large amount of it will not transform a dull, uninteresting persona into a Barack Obama or an Oprah Winfrey. However, a healthy dosage of personal passion, self-confidence, insight, vision, ambition, and dynamism can enhance and multiply the effectiveness of every talent and skill of people who want to run for public office.
We live in a celebrity-driven society, where a Judy Ann Santos, Kris Aquino, John Lloyd Cruz or Sam Milby gets to endorse multiple brands simultaneously because of their unique power to pull in the needed shares and sales; where a former matinee idol can reign supreme, and get the chance to enter and manage the affairs of national government; where an action star can embellish his image to the point of getting elected governor of a major province; where celebrities become political candidates, and the candidates themselves become celebrities.
Charisma indeed rules, and its muscle cannot be underestimated. It is one constant in Philippine politics. The hope, though, that we truly support candidates who would most likely lead us to better days, not just because we like them, remains. Politicians must be deeply conscious of the value of charisma. How else can one explain the rise in popularity of “senatoriables” who sing and dance in rallies; or kiss babies at campaign sorties; or shake the hands of fish vendors in busy public markets during provincial excursions; or appear as part of the cast of a popular sitcom or widely followed soap opera? Are we looking for great leaders or fabulous entertainers? Are we after form or substance?
It has been proven that charismatic leaders can harvest abundant returns like enhanced rapport with people who generally like to be identified with victors or who gravitate towards champions thinking that their energy and motivating power can radiate in their direction. Counsel from people with unassailable charisma are also more readily accepted and made operational. Their stakeholders are more inclined to be more attentive to the proofs contained in a proposal when the person sending the message is likeable. Personal magnetism allows reason coupled with the right emotion to become even more credible.
A case in point is US President Barack Obama. He delivers his speeches with such unmatched conviction that his audience instantly moves from passive listeners to actively engaged participants experiencing something perceived as greater than themselves. His message of hope, Bernadette Evans reports, reminds people that America on its worst day still has more to offer the planet than the rest of the world can on its best day.
“He resurrected that muted dormant enviable attribute of optimism that is indicative of the American self. That optimism, buried over the past seven years under the rubble of terror attacks, vicious partisanship, and demoralizing hurricanes, has been stirred up as it ushers us towards our best days, which Obama assures are ahead of us,” Evans explains. That’s honest-to-goodness charisma in action.
Charisma brings self-confidence to a higher level. The more people like us, the more they will admire us and share good things about us to others. The power of positive “word of mouth” is surely a booster for self-respect. Charismatic leaders share personality traits and behavioral skills that allow them to succeed where others fail. Score the political wannabes against this list of questions for better guidance later on:
1. How strong are their listening and data-gathering capabilities? Determine their comfort level in dealing with a wide range of constituents to get new ideas, and spending precious time learning about opportunities that can benefit their followers.
2. Are they creative thinkers? We need “meaning makers” who build a sense of purpose for their publics by appealing to the heart and soul, not just the mind. Thus, the values they preach should manifest in their actions. Otherwise, people will not believe and follow them.
3. Do they have the facility for great communication? Charismatic leaders have a way with words expressed in an upbeat and persuasive tonality. They are effective storytellers who make messages vibrant and remarkable armed with the appropriate metaphors, analogies sans tasteless language, excessive exhortations, and bland statistics.
4. Are they genuinely compassionate? This doesn’t mean they should distribute hugs or pats on the back; it means walking in other people’s shoes and looking at the problem through their perspective. They have a way of finding common ground or a means to identify with others.
5. Do they exude viral hopefulness? Charismatic leaders cannot afford to be cantankerous lest their inspirational appeal become limited or worse, get erased. They must be honest in pointing out the unadulterated negatives in a given situation. Yet even during the nastiest difficulty, they deliver an optimistic take on working out a situation. At some point, they may feel like moaning about poor results, but they ought to quickly bounce back and find ways to improve the state of affairs.
6. Do they have the power to empower? Charismatic leaders make everyone, regardless of economic status, rank, ethnic background, religion or gender, feel important. They are skilled at giving free rein to and directing human energy. Their idea of empowerment is building up people’s self-esteem to make them feel good about who they are and what they are doing. Bureaucracy is reduced, if not totally wiped out.
7. Do they exhibit unconventional behavior? Charismatic leaders question the status quo and flourish on advancement and transformation. This stance can be advantageous to people since it trains attention on the movers, and can make a winning initiative appear valiant because they went against the cultural grain.
Good looks, a booming voice, faultless manners, and a fashionable wardrobe can enhance one’s charisma factor, but all these are accents, not essentials. Developing your personal brand of charisma and evolving into a Mr. or Ms. Charisma requires immense effort and the determination to try new approaches.
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