The word ‘Charisma’ lexically means: 1) “Charm that can inspire devotion in others or compelling attractiveness” or 2) “A divinely conferred power or talent”.
Among various other virtues much sought-after in a quintessential leader/leadership, this virtue of ‘Charisma’ also assumes significance by infusing fresh elixir of life, galvanizing progress and performance both socially and politically as well as in a business world or corporate sector.
When we talk of a ‘Charismatic Leadership’, it has been defined as “a type of leadership that combines charm, interpersonal connection, and persuasiveness to motivate others.”
According to a blog by Sophia Lee in ‘Torch.io’, “A charismatic leader uses his or her communication skills, persuasiveness, and charm to influence others. Charismatic leaders, given their ability to connect with people on a deep level, are especially valuable within organizations that are facing a crisis or are struggling to move forward.”
Lee in the same blog has also opined that most of the charismatic leaders share certain key characteristics/traits. Such as: “1) Strong Communicator, 2) Empathetic and Relatable, 3) Confident, 4) Motivational, 5) Engaging and Charming, and 6) Optimistic”.
Sophia Lee in this blog has, however, observed, “Charismatic leadership shares many traits with transformational leadership. While similar, there’s one important difference: charismatic leaders rely on their own personality and skillset to move their followers to action, while transformational leaders rely on a shared vision to create change. So, while most transformational leaders tend to be charismatic, not all charismatic leaders are necessarily transformational.”
This hawk-eyed corporate observer has also drawn a conclusion and underlined: “Charismatic leaders can have a powerful, positive influence on an organization and the people they lead. But if approached the wrong way, this leadership style can easily lead to unintended consequences.”
Another significant blog published in ‘Vantage Circle’ avers, “A charismatic leader can help an organisation move forward while it is struggling to progress by means of his/her “Maturity, Humility, Body Language, Confidence, Substance, Communication and Listening Skills.”
The same blog in ‘Vantage Circle’ further elucidates, “Leaders who apply charismatic leadership tend to have a clear vision in business or politics and the capability to address a large audience to influence them with a convincing speech. It is also incomplete if it does not focus on leaders personally. Compared to other leadership styles, this leadership style focuses on the leader’s personality and actions – not the process or structure.”
While deliberating on the characteristics of charismatic leadership, the bottomline of this noteworthy blog mentions: “If democratic leadership points towards guiding a team, or volunteers, charismatic leaders manage employees’ emotions to create a positive work environment and hold no toxicity.”
Airing his valuable views, America-based noted business writer-cum-the tenth Dean of Harvard Business School, Mr Nitin Nohria, in one of his precious write-ups in the prestigious Harvard Business Review (HBR) has stated, “Charisma can be especially useful in two business concepts with big unknowns: entrepreneurial startups and corporate turnarounds. In these settings, when everyone – investors, employees, customers, suppliers – is dealing with enormous uncertainties, a leader’s charisma can give people the faith necessary to take risks.”
Nevertheless, as certain quotable quotes in the web pages ‘OwnQuotes’ and ‘YourQuote’accentuate:
“Nothing is perfect in this world, everything has its pros and cons.” – Nivendita Sharma.
“Everything has pros and cons in it; even if a rose is so beautiful, it still has thorns in it.” – Abhinav Singh.