Charisma and Leadership – Not “The Apprentice”
I read somewhere that the key to charisma is not to be more interesting than everyone else or to have the best stories. No… it is about making the other person feel special. It is exactly the opposite of conventional theory…. putting someone else before you in order to make you look good is counter-intuitive but it works.
During my MBA we studied survey by Kouzes and Posner which asked followers what the characteristics were that they most admired in a leader. The results came out as:
- Honesty
- Inspiring
- Forward-looking
- Competent
- Fair Minded
- Supportive
The lowest-ranking characteristics of a leader were:
- Independent
- Self-centered
- Loyal
- Ambitious
- Determined
- Mature
In looking at the list, all of the ambitious, determined and self-centered behavior a la Donald Trump The Apprentice does not build the best leader. We replicated this study in our class, and we came out with a very similar list. Basically, people want their leaders to satisfy their needs, such as inspiring them, supporting them or being fair in times of conflict. Independence, ambition, and determination may be the individual characteristics that advance an individual to leadership, but ultimately being a great leader stems from satisfying the follower’s needs. In other words, what drives us as individuals is not what our followers are looking for in a leader.
I find this theory very practical and applicable. I also like the idea of a new generation of leaders who drive to inspire instead of going after their own self-centered goals. Yes, I know this may not be a realistic scenario based on how most people become leaders, but it is nice, shiny ideal to strive for.
It’s laughable that you had to spend the money to get an MBA. This information is available everywhere. Too bad.
This post is not supposed to represent all that I learned while earning my MBA – it is just one lesson out of hundreds. The fact that there is more information available to everyone is a great thing – but I think that the classroom debates, connections, live instruction and the assignments we completed offered a package that really helped me become a better business person.
It may seem obvious, but we all want to be liked so much we often go about it all wrong, trying to impress with our accomplishments, etc. People like those who make them feel good about themselves.
I agree – I just wish people remembered that when selecting business and civic leaders. Too many times we end up stereotypical agressive, ambitious leader instead of people that can really help and inspire us.