Charisma Isn’t Enough: What Really Makes a Great Leader.
Maree McPherson OAM
Trusted confidant, mentor and coach to CEOs and Chairs ? Coaching Supervisor - MSCEIT accredited, Oxford Brookes trained ? ex-CEO ? Independent Chair ? Author and Panellist
Leadership is getting so much attention at the moment. Particularly charismatic leadership.
It seems everyone has an opinion and is an expert at spotting the best leaders.
But there's a problem - most people can't.
Director for USG Department of Defense, Luis Elizondo, says:
"The truth of the matter is, most people have an idea of what they think a "leader" should look like but few can explain the actual qualities and traits that make someone a leader."
Many boards, staff groups, and possibly whole nations are blinded by charisma.
People seek charismatic leaders because they think they are the ones who will help us safely through tough times. In fact, in the 1990s, when I did my postgraduate studies in business, charismatic leadership was the predominant and most popular theory.
But we've come a long, long way since then, thankfully.
Charisma is excellent when combined with high emotional intelligence, high IQ, and curiosity. In a fascinating 2017 study , Belgian academic Jasmine Vergauwe and her colleagues at Ghent University found, perhaps predictably, that the more charismatic the leader, the higher they rated their own effectiveness!
The best leaders trust their staff to know their jobs, and they take frank, fearless advice from their teams. Equally, they know how to test that advice, when to accept it, and when to leave it on the table.
They know when to be humble and when to be more strident. They employ adaptive behaviours as required in each circumstance. As Elizondo says in his article on Medium, "In order to lead, you must first learn to know what it's like to follow."
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Charisma alone is not enough. Relying on it is dangerous. Charismatic leaders show traits of overconfidence and inflated self-esteem and are prone to trying to persuade people to do things their way without question.
I met a new chief executive some weeks back. They had joined the organisation following on from a highly charismatic previous incumbent.
In their first six months on the job, they found numerous problems hidden below the surface. It was now their job to fix those issues, and the staff group was pushing back.
The board, too, had been fooled and had omitted to do their due diligence while assuming that important things had been taken care of. Alarm bells were now ringing loudly for them.
The lesson here for all of us?
Let's be less quick to assume that a gregarious, fast-moving, decisive 'innovator' will make the best leader.
Very often, the people least likely to self-identify as leaders are the ones we should invest in.
I'd love your thoughts.
Manager, Fire and Emergency Recovery at Parks Victoria
2 个月Love this. I have shared this with some of my more introverted colleagues. Substance over volume!
Transitions Expert | Empowering Women 50+ to Redefine Life on Their Terms | Helping Women Create Fulfilling Lives Beyond Work | Leadership & Career Coach | Advocate for Purpose-Driven Living After Fifty ??
2 个月Thanks for your insights Maree McPherson OAM. I learned early in my career (after appointing a difficult person) to notice when I feel wowed by someone’s charisma, and then ask ‘why am I having this reaction? What else does this person bring? What are they not saying?” Etc, to get a better measure of the person.
Executive Leadership Coach & Advisor | Leadership, Strategy & Culture Development | Strategic Partner to CEOs & Executives
2 个月Integrity, humility and the desire to continue to evolve and adapt go a long way in my book Maree McPherson OAM
Strategic Partner to Purpose-Led CEOs and Exec Leaders | Imperfect Leadership to realise your potential for impact
2 个月Great insights, Maree - the most respected and impactful leaders I’ve worked with have been the last to talk themselves up, yet people at every level of the organisation couldn’t speak highly enough of them and their leadership. As leaders it’s our impact on others that is the better measure and so interesting to read the research you’ve shared backs that up!
Imagining how rewilding humans and landscapes will heal our beloved country || flora, fauna and fungi
2 个月For me, ethics is the highest characteristic i seek in a leader. The more moons I see ( and what a beauty at present) the more I appreciate humility, vulnerability and curiousity in a person, especially one who is in a position of authority and makes decisions on behalf of many others. Profitability, dominanting market share, ‘driving’ the business forward and reducing competition are still terms used as the focus of a business’s purpose above all else. How important is language to ascertain a person’s values? It is everything. Thanks Maree ????