Charisma is not a substitute for leadership. Leadership requires charisma and courage. Charisma can be partly innate, but also be developed. Personal charisma is individual. Charismatic leadership develops when charisma is combined with organizing and achieving a greater purpose. Folow the steps below to develop and combine personal charisma and leadership.
1. Feel good about yourself
Personal charisma starts with feeling good about yourself. Before attempting to change your charisma, consider why you should be a leader. Focus on the talents and skills that make you an outstanding leader, and ask yourself; “What makes this leadership role right for me at this point in my life? How did I prepare for it? How can I develop myself?” Why is it necessary that I’m the leader? This is the basis of your personal charisma.
2. Find your personal motives
The key to determining what type of charisma you want to develop is rooted in understanding why you want to be more charismatic. Ask yourself, “Why do I want this?” Do you want more attention, and focus on the acknowledgment of your plans, or is it time to address uncertainty? Do you want to be dominant because you think a leader should be? Does being more dominant help you fulfill leadership responsibilities, or is it counterproductive? How can you better use this for the benefit of the organization?
3. Be conscious of your appearance
Effective charismatic leaders are aware of their appearance and feel comfortable about the way they present themselves to their team. Many characteristics of charisma are expressed, so a leader must learn how to embody charisma. How do you deal with people? What are you aware of in one-on-one conversation, within a small group, or in front of a large audience? How do you modulate your voice, your listening, and your attention? How do you non-verbally communicate your consent with others? Physical, unspoken interactions between people have a profound impact on human relationships. Leaders who do not work on their image do so at their own risk.
4. Meditate, practice, and develop
The properties of charisma include tangible (e.g. public speaking) and intangible elements. Intangible elements are finding acceptance of yourself and developing focus. These elements can be developed by meditation or a coach. Working with a trusted coach provides a framework for how best to work with both elements. For example, a coach can help you use the correct intonation and use of voice also to achieve the goal of your speech psychologically. An external perspective on your physical behavior offers you the opportunity to learn about your internal thinking process.
5. Good performance depends on good practice
A common mistake made by leaders is that they think they can improvise in front of their team, often without thinking too much ahead and with negative consequences. Practicing in a private environment with a coach offers the opportunity to clarify your point and leaves room for “trial-and-error”. In this way mistakes, which are inevitable, can be put to good use. By practicing and learning, you develop a real leadership charisma. Of course, leadership also includes encouraging your employees to continuously develop.
