Who immediately comes to mind when you think of the word 'charisma'? An actor? A military leader? A President? What qualities does this person have that qualifies him or her to be classified as someone who has the mysterious quality of charisma?
Is it their self-confidence? Their almost effortless ability to get others to do what they want? Their swagger? All of the above?

How about you? Are you a charismatic leader? Becoming a leader with charisma is more difficult than it sounds. Some would say you've either got it or you don't. But leaders are made, not born... and anyone can learn to become a charismatic leader, if
they re willing to put in the time and energy it will take!

Charisma is defined as "a rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm". Lofty goals, eh? But keep in mind that charisma, in some form or another, is a quality that all of us possess, and if we cultivate what we do have, we will increase our ability to influence others and inspire them to achieve more than what they think they are capable of. Here are some concrete tips to increase your
charisma:

Learn all you can about your business and how you, and your department, fit in. Become the expert on what your organization is trying to achieve. By truly understanding the big picture, you will find ways to translate the organization's goals into your own - and those of the people who work for you.

Read, read, read. There are lots of books out there about leadership that will start you thinking about your own opportunities for improvement. Some of my favorites are The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Dr. Stephen Covey, Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell and Charisma: Seven Keys to Developing the Magnetism that Leads to Success by Tony Allessandra, Ph. D.

In this last book, a variation of the Golden Rule is introduced - The key to charisma, it is suggested, is "Doing unto others as they'd like done unto them".

In other words, to be a charismatic leader, you need to be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you. If you focus on these ideas, you will make yourself into someone others enthusiastically follow.


                                                                         Lead with Confidence,
 

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