Leadership Myth Charisma - 5 Tips: Can you train charisma?

You can Charisma learn? Maybe, if you define it appropriately and unfortunately also demoted. In reality, charisma is not a toolset that you can easily buy as a leader. It is the expression of a mature and experienced personality.

The truth about charisma

The topic of charisma is very trendy. Become Term in the search mask of Online-types bookstores, gets thousands of hits. If you research the term in Combination with “training”, Google throws out millions of results worldwide. Both are clear signs of the desire of many Peopleto be able to acquire more charisma through reading or seminars. In fact, everyone should look at their posture and language, Rede– and communication skills as well as facial expressions and voice . work

Because these factors are extremely important on a professional and private level - be it in negotiations or in management. What many people don't know, however, is that charisma is basically not an inner gift, but rather the Effect on the outside world - which springs from a mature personality.

Myth or more than that?

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There are many stubborn myths about charisma, even among professionals such as executives, scriptwriters, and trainers. The ancient Greeks still believed that this property was a divine gift. Today, most of the charisma is a bundle of behaviors that make other people superficially impressive. According to this viewpoint, this is something that you can easily train yourself and enable one to exude a high degree of integrity, authority, experience, and a strong personality.

This approach disregards the inner prerequisite for real charisma: Anyone who has experienced victories and defeats in life and has already excelled through deeds is quite naturally convincing - without the Welt having to pretend.

Neither divine nor success recipe

You don't get charisma in the cradle, nor is it a quality that you just have to have fast can be purchased in the weekend workshop. Rather, charisma is the result of a professional and private life that is rich in experiences, insights and adventures. But how can one's own effect on the outside world increase and at the Guide can be used profitably by people?

This is helpful in this context Concept the political scientist and historian James McGregor Burns, who identified two types of political dignitaries: the transactional and the transformational. Transactional politicians stand for the Status quo, transformational politicians for change. Based on this analysis, George M. Brass developed the theory of transformational leadership.

Visionary leadership personalities

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Many people tend to selfishly focus on personal concerns. transformational Executives However, they can persuade them to achieve higher ones out of inner drive Set to pursue. This type of manager has visions, acts as a role model and knows how to get people involved Implementation .

In recent years, the image of the charism has changed: executives who show more semblance than being narcissistically exploit their fellow human beings for selfish goals are no longer contemporary. Properly understood radiation, on the other hand, is built on the foundation of a positive reputation.

The highest level of leadership quality

The renowned management expert Jim Collins has for his book The Path to the Best 1.435 USCompanys analyzed. From the 500 of these companies, which have been consistently successful for three decades, he identified the top 11 – those that are not only big, but downright “great”. Surprising result: there seems to be no correlation between charismatic leadership and being exceptional Success from companies.

Above-average effective managers convince with a mix of determination and modesty. That really differentiates business leaders who use that designation to earn, by at most competent and effective managers. According to Collins, these leaders what he calls "Level 5 leadership" that drives the company forward.

1. professional determination

In this sense sketched leadership personality ...

• stands for top results and is an important catalyst in the company
• transforms things consistently and tackles what is important for success
• takes excellence as a benchmark and does not settle for less
• check the Spiegel and not out of the window.

2. personal modesty

Manager with Level 5 Leadership ...

• act rather inconspicuously, are not interested in public commendation and do not pretend to be a diva
• act prudently and clearly; they motivate their employees with high standards and not by imposed behavior
• are ambitious - but less for their own ego, but for the company
• choose a successor for themselves
• If successful, look out the window instead of the Spiegel.

It is striking that Collins' findings agree with Max Weber's research results. The world-renowned sociologist had already declared around 100 years ago: Institutions that endure do not owe their success to the charisma of a leader, but to the fact that they Art of leadership throughout System cultivate.

Values ​​and deeds are crucial

According to Jim Collins' studies, above-average successful managers act based on values. You don't necessarily need an exceptionally strong charisma. However, this can of course be beneficial for the cause, since success also depends on well-functioning social interaction between manager and manager Employees depends - and in this context, authentic language as well as facial expressions and gestures play an important role. Much more important than an impressive appearance, however, are the concrete actions.

Authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, who studied the actions of managers, take a similar view. They wanted to find out how their leadership reaches the employees and which behaviors indicate success decide.

In addition to communicative skills, there are five essential drivers for outstanding leadership success, which they offer as concrete recommendations forms:

1. role model

• Find your own point of view by defining your values
• Orient your actions on connecting values ​​and be a role model in them

2. Common visions

• Sketch a future scenario of exciting and inspiring possibilities
• Create enthusiasm in your environment with a shared vision and share your hopes and expectations with your employees

3. Processes

• Searching for opportunities and opportunities for development and growth
• Have the courage to experiment, take risks and learn from mistakes

4. To enable employees to act

• Influenced by cooperative goals and confidence building the cooperation positively
• Give space to others more participation and greater room for maneuver - so you strengthen them

5. encouragement

• Openly declare your appreciation for outstanding, individual achievements
• Praise and celebrate common values ​​and victories, in this way you will promote the spirit of communion

Charisma training - yes or no?

The findings of Collins, Kouzes and Posner represent the prerequisites for a successful management activity. Anyone who adheres to them makes themselves independent from the external control as well as the more or less clever advice in specialist books. The research results help to create an autonomous leadership personality with high radiation power to other people.

And only at this point does it do it Sinnto think about charisma workshops. Certainly you can hardly train yourself to approach other people like Julius Caesar, Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi act. However, it works very well to develop your own personality to the maximum – but always remain aware that this process is never completely finished. Managers who start here can improve their personal image with the right training measures clear improve.

Represent what you live

However, such seminars are only effective in the long term if the manager actually lives the values ​​presented and acts as a role model in the company Everyday life will do justice. There is no shortcut to true integrity—through a charisma crash course or any other Tricks, which supposedly help to create a strong charisma. Because people have a very keen sense of whether someone is serious and has built a house of solid substance - or just wants to make an impression with a colorful facade that has been painted quickly.

In the long run, only focusing on inner values ​​leads to success. Who on this basis his personality and individual Competencies optimized with the appropriate training measures, can also become a highly charismatic charismatic in the digital age.

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