Helping Men and Women
Become More Effective Leaders

Recognized as one of the 30 Most Influential
Leadership Gurus Worldwide*

May 2008

“Promote a ‘culture of learning’ by sharing best practices.
Help individuals and teams learn and grow so that they become better prepared for future challenges.”
from 180 Ways to Walk the Leadership Talk

John is a now a Discussion Leader for Harvard Business Online.

John’s Podcast of the Month: How to Ask for a Raise
Deserve more? Develop a best case argument for an increase.
http://www.cio.com/podcasts/baldoni/9raise.mp3

To register for My Quick Coach, which features videos from more than 70 noted authors and consultants, visit www.myquickcoach.com. Enter “Baldoni” as your promotional code and receive a $60 discount on annual membership.

Charisma – Is It Necessary?

Charisma gives the leader the edge he or she needs to give people a reason to believe in their leadership. Charisma itself is the shine on the apple, but not the apple itself. As behavioral scientists have postulated, the shine often comes from what people want to see; it is a reflection of their own selves. The substance comes from the leader. In sales terms, charisma opens the door, but the leader must close the sale.

The question arises can charisma be learned or are you born with it? A bit of both, I think, and here are some suggestions for developing it, or at least shining up your own apple.

Know yourself. One reason we are drawn to leaders is because they radiate confidence. That confidence emerges from a sense of self. They know they are up to the job and hunger for it. Better yet, and this is where charisma comes in, they make you feel that they can do it. And even better, you can help them do it, too. “Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country” is not simply a great piece of rhetoric. It was John F. Kennedy’s call to action to a “new generation” of citizenry.

Practice your public speaking. “It don’t mean a thing,” wrote Duke Ellington, “if it ain’t got that swing.” Leadership is a public act; it means standing up in front of an audience and delivering. Most often, unless you are a corporate titan or politician, you will be speaking in small groups, but regardless of the size of the audience, you must speak with knowledge as well as conviction. That is, know your stuff and act on your beliefs.

Be humble. Yes, this may sound like the anti‑thesis of charisma, but it is not. Leaders who soar on stage but are grounded when speaking or listening one on one are those that inspire loyalty. So often in the tales of great men and more especially great women, we hear their followers say, “She made me feel as if I were the most important person in the room.” That’s charisma in reverse; make the other person feel special. That may be the ultimate gift of charisma, the one to one connection with individuals.

As desirable as charisma may be, it does have a downside. As Kate Zernike of the New York Times notes, it can morph into “the cult of personality.” She quotes historian Robert Caro, speaking of the limitations of leadership inspiration, “[I]t doesn’t always lead to a great presidency.” In other words, if inspiration rests only on aspiration rather than perspiration it is vaporous. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ultimately leaders are judged on results. If the results are judged good, people will be pleased. If the results are poor, people will be turned off, not matter how handsome, beautiful, debonair or inspirational you may seem. Charisma is desirable certainly, but lack of it does not doom a leader to failure.

Source:
Kate Zernike “Follow Me: The Charisma Mandate” New York Times 2.17.08

[Adapted from a column first published by HarvardBusinessOnline.com on February 20, 2008]

Keynote Speaker
People who attend John's keynotes and workshops come away saying that his presentations are "insightful," "helpful," and "motivational." John's topics include communications, motivation, personal leadership and getting results the right way. John is a frequent speaker on leadership topics to corporate, professional, military, and university audiences. Visit www.johnbaldoni.com to see John's videos, listen to his coaching podcasts, or read his newest articles.

Executive Coach
John specializes in helping his clients discover and achieve leadership presence, which he defines as "earned authority." Those with leadership presence demonstrate a strong capacity to project confidence, communicate with conviction, instill trust, and most importantly, lead by example. Leadership presence combines a leader's earned authority with a follower's reason to believe. While leaders project their leadership, followers authorize it with their approval. What matters to us most is authenticity. Leadership presence can be taught and put into practice through focused coaching. Watch John's videos on leadership presence and communications at www.johnbaldoni.com/askjohn.

John in the News
John has been invited to join the leadership development faculty of the world‑renowned Banff Centre (Alberta) where he teaches a course inspired by his book, How Great Leaders Get Great Results.

* John Baldoni was named one of the "30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus" worldwide for 2007 by Leadership Gurus International www.LeadershipGurus.net.

John Online
John is a Discussion Leader for Harvard Business Online where he writes the Leadership at Work blog. John also writes the monthly Baldoni on Leadership column for CIO.com.

About John Baldoni
John Baldoni is a leadership consultant and speaker specializing in executive coaching, development and communications. John is the author of six books on leadership including the Great Leaders trilogy for McGraw‑Hill: How Great Leaders Get Great Results (2006), Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders (2005), and Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders (2003).