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250-300 words
Respond to each post (include 2 references)
Post #1
Charismatic leaders are essentially very skilled communicators. They understand how to verbally express their thoughts and ideas to their followers on a deep, emotional level. They are able to articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and are able to arouse strong emotions in followers. Charisma is what helps leaders gain the love and support of their followers. They understand how to “work the room” while giving a speech. They pay much attention to the person they are talking to at any one moment, making that person feel like they are, for that time, the most important person in the world. Charismatic Leaders pay a great deal of attention in scanning and reading their environment, and are good at picking up the moods and concerns of both individuals and larger audiences. They then will hone their actions and words to suit the situation.
With communication being a prime trait for the charismatic leader, one way to develop this skill in through practice with public speaking. For example, charismatic leaders such as Obama or Martin Luther King Jr. were masters of public speaking. This is because leadership is a public act. Individuals have to be comfortable standing in front of large or small audiences and speaking with knowledge as well as conviction. This may take some time to practice and develop, especially for individuals who are introverted or have anxiety for public speaking. There are several communication training courses that can help sharpen the skill of public speaking but I believe that the most skill will come from getting comfortable with providing speeches. The more experience one gains from delivering speeches will help to build individual style.
References:
Leanne Atwater, Robert Penn, Linda Rucker. (1991). Personal qualities of charismatic leaders. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 12 Issue: 2, pp.7-10
Conger, J. A., and R. N. Kanungo (1998). Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Post #2
Charisma “the ability to communicate a clear, visionary, and inspirational message that captivates and motivates an audience” (Antonakis, Feneley, & Liechti 2012, p. 127). It is important to leadership because as a leader you should be able to persuade others, be able to use powerful and reasoned rhetoric, establish personal and moral credibility, and then rouse followers’ emotions and passions. “If a leader can do those three things well, he or she can then tap into the hopes and ideals of followers, give them a sense of purpose and inspire them to achieve great things” (Antonakis, et al, 2012, p. 127). I do agree that charisma can be learned, to some, charisma is something that comes easy to them due to their personality, they are extroverts, however to those who are introverts and being charismatic does not come naturally, the trait can be learned through the right training. This has been studied by Antonakis, et al, 2012, who trained leaders on charismatic leadership tactics, which resulted in a jump in a leader’s competence to 60% on average. The charismatic leadership tactics are nine verbals: metaphors, similes, and analogies; stories and anecdotes; contrasts; rhetorical questions; three-part lists; expressions of moral conviction; reflections of the group’s sentiments; the setting of high goals; and conveying confidence that they can be achieved. Three tactics are nonverbal: animated voice, facial expressions, and gestures” (Antonakis, et al, 2012, p. 128).
One example of a trait is being able to speak to a team who had failed at a project and as a leader you have to get the team to regroup, refocus and motivated to do better and not dwell on failure. The CLT that one would need to possess is having expressions of moral conviction which can be developed by preparation, having a goal, have an understanding of who your followers are and what they are feeling to help you express your message and practice what and how your going to say it (nonverbals).
Northouse, 2016, talked about President Barack Obama, who is perceived by all as being very charismatic. When President Obama speaks in front of people he shows charisma, especially the nonverbals, his voice is animated, his facial expressions go along with what he is talking about, if it’s something happy he has a smile, if it’s serious you could see it in his face and he has several gestures that he uses depending on the topic. I am sure with President Obama’s experiences and training in public speaking, along with his personality, has helped him become the charismatic leader he is today.
Antonakis, J., Fenley, M., & Liechti, S. (2012). Learning charisma. Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 127-130.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Post #3
Charisma is very important to leadership in that it allows the leader to shape or fashion a message in order to convey their ideas so they can be clearly understood, without misinterpretation, by the receiver. According to Antonakis (2012), this type of leader is well-versed in Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs), and they can become more influential, trustworthy, and “leaderlike” in the eyes of others (Antonakis, Fenley, & Liechti, 2012). Tactics suggest something that is rehearsed and practiced fundamentally until it becomes a skill that can be employed when needed. For this reason, I would agree that some aspects of charisma can be learned.
An example of this can be seen in many of our senior politicians. They are confident with the knowledge and experience they have which allows them to focus more on utilizing their charisma to further enhance their message. According to Goleman (2004), one of the charismatic traits they might use is self-regulation. This is developed through practice by controlling one’s feelings and keeping the content of the message under steady control. It can be contagious throughout the organization and a sought-out ability (Goleman, 2004).
For example, our boss is a very calculated and charismatic individual. He has the ability to use CLTs and he is always self-regulated, regardless of the situation. I often watch him during meetings and try to practice emulating his behavior back in our office while dealing with the customers.
References:
Antonakis, J., Fenley, M., & Liechti, S. (2012) Learning charisma, Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 127 – 130
Goleman, D. (2004) What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 82(1), 82-91
