Do Introverted Leaders Need to be More Charismatic?

Because of misconceptions about introversion, many people do not associate the term charismatic with introversion. But when it comes to senior leaders, is charisma needed?

What is it about charisma and is it something lacking in all introverted leaders, or have misconceptions clouded peoples’ judgement? And if people are of the view that introverted leaders lack charisma, what impact does this then have on an introverted leader’s leadership presence and how they are perceived as a leader?

It might help first to explore what charisma is and to understand what (if any) part it plays in the role of an effective leader. And then look at whether or not introverted leaders do need to be more charismatic.

What is charisma?

The Cambridge dictionary defines charisma as a special power that some people have naturally that makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration.

According to psychologist Professor Ronald E Riggio, charisma is a collection of personal characteristics that causes an individual to be attractive to others and to have impact on them. It is the ability to inspire people, affect them at the emotional level, and to lead a devoted following. 

He says it is most often associated with charismatic leadership, but personal charisma is related to well-developed emotional and social skills and can be possessed by anyone. Charisma plays a key part in social effectiveness, in leadership, in interpersonal relationships, and in fostering psychosocial well-being.

Do senior leaders need to be charismatic?

Given the description of charisma, it would make sense that leaders have an element of it if they are to inspire their teams to give their best. An article in the Harvard Business Review (Jan-Feb 2018 Issue 96) states:

“Conventional wisdom suggests that the most charismatic leaders are also the best leaders. Charismatic leaders have, for instance, the ability to inspire others towards higher levels of performance and to instil deep levels of commitment, trust, and satisfaction. As a result, they are generally perceived by their subordinates to be more effective, compared with less charismatic leaders. But our research shows that while having at least a moderate level of charisma is important, having too much may hinder a leader’s effectiveness.”

Whilst a moderate level of charisma is important as a leader, too much can actually be a derailer. In the article in the Harvard Business Review, the researchers found that as charisma increased, so did perceived effectiveness. However, this was only up to a certain point. Once it got past this point, the perceived effectiveness started to decline.

Why are introverted leaders not associated with being charismatic?

There is an unfavourable bias towards introversion in the corporate environment. This is due to the widely held, unspoken belief that extroverted leaders who are charming and gregarious will be the most effective no matter the environment. Whereas introverted leaders who, because they may be reserved and unassuming (and because of misconceptions about introversion), are often misunderstood.

Being aloof is a label that introverted leaders often tell me has been put on them. This has been done by people who lack an understanding of what introversion is, who do not know the person concerned well enough, and because we live in the ‘extrovert ideal’.

There is a widely held misconception that charismatic people are extroverted (although not that all extroverted people are charismatic). However, not all introverted leaders lack charisma, it’s that often those who are charismatic are often not associated as being introverted because of the misconceptions about introversion.

I would say Oprah is a well known introvert who has charisma. When I tell people that Oprah is introverted, they often dismiss what I say with a laugh. Because of the nature of her work and the fact that she is always in the public eye, people think she can’t be introverted. If it were not for the fact that I can direct them to a video of her telling Amy Schumer that she is, they wouldn’t believe me.

But if you stop and think about it, whilst Oprah’s work is very much in the public eye (and as such so is her life), away from the stage, she displays characteristics typically associated with introversion.

So, do introverted leaders need to be more charismatic?

Just like some extroverts are charismatic and some extroverts aren’t, the short answer is yes and no.

For the long answer, it depends whether or not the leader concerned lacks it. Just like not all introverted leaders are shy, lack confidence or don’t like public speaking (as many would mistakenly believe), not all introverted leaders lack charisma.

In the findings stated in the Harvard Business Review article I mentioned above, the researchers suggest that leaders should be aware of the possible disadvantages of being highly charismatic. They state that whilst it is difficult to draw a precise line between “just enough” and “too much” charisma, certain traits can hinder effectiveness.

Namely, in overly charismatic leaders, self-confidence can turn into overconfidence and narcissism in highly charismatic leaders. Risk tolerance and persuasiveness may turn into manipulative behaviour, and the enthusiasm and entertaining nature of charisma may turn into attention seeking behaviour.

They suggest coaching and development for such leaders in managing potential operational weaknesses, enhancing self-awareness, and improving self-regulation can be useful.

For leaders low in charisma, it may be difficult for them to drive forward strategy and bring people along with them. They suggest coaching to boost their strategic behaviour.

If you are an introverted leader and feel like you lack charisma, develop your self awareness so that you are able to identify situations where you need to adapt your leadership style (whilst still being your authentic self), in order to positively influence the people that you lead.

What do you think? Let me know by commenting below.

About Me

I am an Executive, Career and Leadership Coach, known as The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, and 4 times LinkedIn Top Voice UK. I coach women who are senior leaders to be visible, to confidently exude presence, to influence, and make an impact. I also provide workshops, webinars and talks on personal development, career development and leadership development.

If you are an introverted woman and a senior leader and want to increase your confidence, influence and impact, take my free assessment and get a report identifying areas to develop. You can take the assessment here. 

?My book Quietly Visible: Leading with Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman addresses many of the challenges that introverted women face as leaders and shows how these challenges can be overcome. The hardcopy is available here.

Or you can get it on Kindle here.