Introduction
A charismatic leader is a person who leads a particular social group with an exceptional personal quality such as charisma. Charismatic leaders are always distinguished by their energy, respectability, influential appearance, and independence of character. They have excellent public speaking skills, the ability to communicate persuasively with others, and an adequate perception of praise and criticism.
Leaders have a confident demeanor in favorable and unfavorable circumstances and can inspire others to new achievements that will bring many benefits (Zhang et al., 2020). According to Jackson (2019), people can be taught to exhibit charismatic, inspirational behaviors that they choose whether or not to perform. At a minimum, such behaviors can uniquely achieve success and strong business results in the long run (Karim et al., 2020). This paper will discuss charisma as a powerful leadership element that can be developed through practice and acquired skills.
Charisma as a Potent Component
Key Concepts
One powerful element of charisma is the ability to impact others mesmerizingly, attract people, get their attention, and build social influence. It is an appealing energy radiating character and, simultaneously, the art of mesmerizing people. A person in whose presence there is a sense of comfort, whose words are listened to attentively, who inspires and enthralls, in which its some spark, is necessarily endowed with attractive qualities.
Magnetism, charm, attractiveness, likability, talkativeness, popularity, and sincerity are the term’s primary definitions (“Psychopathic individuals with charisma,” 2022). Building a team that is willing to cooperate in times of crisis is made possible by the powerful personality quality of charisma. If there is a sense of spiritual intimacy, partners experience a greater willingness to have open and sincere relationships.
Most of the charisma phenomenon’s explanatory models are, in one way or another, based on Max Weber’s approach. Weber once said that charisma is a person’s quality that distinguishes them from ordinary people and is perceived as possessing supernatural and exceptional capabilities (Mauro, 2022). Charismatic leaders will communicate their attentiveness and thoughtfulness in the way they communicate to solve a problem. Charismatic personalities have such a magical, almost religious influence on those around them that it borders on occultism. They are also active listeners and try to encourage and understand the team’s ideas and opinions from their broad perspective.
About Charismatic Leadership
At any company’s head is a personality – a charismatic leader who is a mover, an inspirer, and a person responsible to the masses. A creative and charismatic leader often makes the difference between thinking outside the box and taking risks. Especially in the digital age, leaders must always remain abreast of current global innovations. They demonstrate an open attitude, a sincere desire to absorb and explore new knowledge and wisdom and foster creativity. Such leaders are “visionaries” and “exceptional individuals” who exert a profound social influence and generate employee enthusiasm for a common cause (Hu & Dutta, 2022). They tend to create a better work environment, inspire and motivate followers, and share their vision (Karim et al., 2020).
Through verbal and nonverbal tactics, emotional displays, and symbolic ways, a charismatic leader can persuasively convey a clear and vivid message to a collective, substantiating a mission, values, and end-states (Meslec et al., 2020). Employees are maximally involved and understand their work’s purpose and meaning. Workers are highly motivated and have energy, enthusiasm, and team spirit; work becomes an exciting adventure.
Charisma can compensate for the lack of status, knowledge, and experience. If all of these factors are present, the influence may be amplified. A leader can lead people to a noble cause or even crime, but people will follow a charismatic man. If leaders possess valuable qualities, people automatically perceive their behavior as noteworthy and desirable, so they tend to repeat the same actions and conform to the same model. Charismatic leaders are always more practical; employees forgive and continue to listen to them, and even in difficult times, such leaders can induce the team to sacrifice their interests without internal resistance.
Charisma Training
It is generally accepted that charisma is a superpower that a person has by nature. In addition to powerful charm, the ability to impress, and personal appeal, such characters are accompanied by the talent to win hearts. They have an innate suitable manner of speaking, the ability to persuade, and leadership qualities. Although innate qualities are an auxiliary element, all charismatics are united by the ability and desire to be innovative and learn. It is a collection of behaviors, habits, psychological attitudes, reflexive techniques, and mannerisms that have been created over time and effort rather than an innate ability or character attribute (Shah, 2019). Developing charisma can help a person in almost any life situation. Without using the stick or the carrot, leaders can use attractiveness as a potent weapon to obtain what they want from their colleagues.
Practice
One must actively practice confident communication with people, sharpen their public speaking prowess, and cultivate emotional intelligence to develop charisma. Many successful leaders and public figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Nelson Mandela, have developed their magnetism over many years. Practices to improve a leader’s charisma are often built on maintaining a positive attitude, mindfulness, confidence, and self-control (Indeed Editorial Team, 2023).
In communication with a partner, a person should remain calm, control the tone of voice, speak sincerely about exciting things, practice eye contact, listen attentively, notice details, and ask clarifying questions (Indeed Editorial Team, 2023). The presence of internal prerequisites, in particular, communication skills and willpower, give a person a huge advantage. Regardless of personality traits, individuals can and should train charisma. Its components, such as oratory, charm, or sincerity, are never redundant.
No choice made by a compelling leader deviates from their core values and interests, demonstrating a steady personality—the “foundation.” People with solid charisma should have an influential inner director who is an unquestioned authority. Essentially, they must be honest with themselves and others, as the external should be equal to the internal. Charismatics always have ideas of their future and imagine images of such a future. They accept themselves as a whole, with all their virtues, faults, strengths, and shadows. It is essential to develop “contagious pride,” which is defined as self-assurance in one’s abilities, vision, and self. People can be anything they want: fascinating, sought-after, outstanding, attractive, famous.
Skills
It is essential to acquire and improve skills such as listening and effective communication, controlling emotions, showing empathy, and developing conviction in one’s ideas and goals. Charisma is a particular set of skills that every person has to some extent. Charismatic people understand their emotions and can sincerely and freely express them at the right moment. Charismatic people empathize with others and are afraid to express their emotions. They are not ashamed of showing their sincere feelings and do not habitually act out for any reason. They are attractive because they look natural, human, and distinctive in any situation.
Structuring one’s speech to engage and persuade listeners and interlocutors is especially critical. The non-verbal component is essential: body posture, gestures, expressive facial expressions, and intonation. If one reads in that way, even the most exciting material will seem boring. For charismatic individuals, having a high sense of self-worth and confidence is essential. People are ready to follow someone who knows what they are doing and will help them overcome their doubts and fears. All these skills and qualities are equally present in charismatic people and allow them to arouse sympathy and achieve success in any sphere.
Conclusion
In order to succeed and produce favorable outcomes in business and other domains, charisma is a crucial element of good leadership. A genuinely charismatic leader can attract people’s attention to their person, clearly communicate their thoughts to followers, and influence their activities. Such a person can motivate others despite troubles and inspire them to new feats and accomplishments. Many experts agree that charisma can and should be developed like any other pattern of human behavior. Leaders can significantly improve charisma through constant practice and learning new skills. Emphasis should be placed on increasing confidence, improving communication skills, controlling feelings, developing emotional intelligence, and more.
References
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Jackson, T. (2019). What makes leaders charismatic and inspirational. Medium. Web.
Indeed Editorial Team. (2023). How to develop elements of charisma in 10 steps. Indeed. Web.
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Mauro, M. (2022). What is charismatic leadership? can charisma drive change? Medium. Web.
Meslec, N., Curseu, P. L., Fodor, O. C., & Kenda, R. (2020). Effects of charismatic leadership and rewards on individual performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(6), 1-12. Web.
Psychopathic individuals with charisma can get away with more bad behavior. (2022). BingUNews. Web.
Shah, P.F. (2019). What is charisma? can charisma be learned? LinkedIn. Web.
Zhang, X., Liang, L., Tian, G., & Tian, Y. (2020). Heroes or villains? The dark side of charismatic leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 1-16. Web.