[acb-hsp] Cultivating Charisma

[peter altschul]

Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) 
You At Work
  BY Arnie Cooper 03-29-2012 10:00 AM
  Olivia Fox Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth , talks with 
Fast Company about why charisma is so critical to business and 
how special Jedi mind tricks can help get you there.
  As a socially inept teenager, Olivia Fox Cabane realized that 
she had two choices.  "Either confine myself to a desert island, 
or learn how to make this human thing work," she says.  Cabane 
opted for the latter.  Good thing.  By age 24, the French-born 
author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and 
Science of Personal Magnetism published on March 29, had 
addressed the United Nations.  The following year she was 
lecturing at Harvard and MIT, a precursor to her career as an 
executive coach and keynote speaker.  A self-professed science 
nerd, Cabane came up with the idea for a book on charisma after 
realizing there was no single resource to help individuals 
cultivate it.  We spoke with Cabane about why charisma is so 
critical to business and how Jedi mind tricks (not the hip hop 
group) can help get you there.
  FAST COMPANY: So what is the myth of charisma and where did it 
come from?
  OLIVIA FOX CABANE: It came from the Greeks who coined the word 
as "gift of grace." They believed it was a divine gift.  The myth 
is that charisma is not innate.  What scientists have actually 
discovered--like many other myths they busted this one--is it's 
actually a social skill, which like many others is learned.  But 
this happens so early in life that by the time these charismatics 
get to adulthood, it all seems to be natural.  And yet if, for 
example, you analyze the progression of Steve Jobs from 1984 to 
2011 you'll see he painstakingly learned it step by step.
  So where did we get the idea that one needs to be outgoing and 
gregarious to be charismatic?
  A few things.  First, people don't realize that charisma is not 
monolithic.  There's no one form of charisma that is good or bad 
per se.  There's only the right form of charisma for the 
particular situation.  Our western culture glamorizes 
extroversion and so the 50% of the population who are introverts 
feel defective and uncool.  But you know what? Introversion is 
actually an asset for several forms of charisma.
  For example?
  For "focus charisma," which creates a cocoon around people and 
gets them to share everything, introversion is actually a key, 
critical component because you need to completely focus your 
attention on a person and listen attentively.
  What about the three other styles of charisma?
  There's "authority charisma" which is the most powerful form of 
charisma.  It's the one that will get people to listen and obey.  
However, authority charisma has several downsides, as do the 
others.  With this one, though, it inhibits critical feedback and 
is a killer for brainstorming.  It's not one I'd recommend 
bringing into a company or to a team if you want them to be 
creative.
  And Steve Jobs? His charisma was what you term the "visionary."
  Exactly.  This form of charisma is one that can make people 
feel inspired and want to follow you.  It's also great for 
invigorating brainstorming.  But remember, there was a very 
different Steve Jobs in private.  His public persona was very 
carefully crafted.
  The other type of charisma is "kindness" which is what the 
Dalai Lama has.  This encourages people to reveal their hearts 
and souls, which is wonderful and flattering.  People start 
bending rules for you or pretending they don't even exist, but it 
can also backfire because people start falling in love with you, 
not romantically.  But they can get very hurt when they find that 
you don't reciprocate.
  Can you talk about the big advantages that make charisma so 
critical in business?
  Charisma makes people want to want to trust and follow you.  
Imagine if you knew that the moment you entered the room people 
would want to know what you have to say.  It causes people to 
have a personal sense of sacrifice and go above and beyond the 
call of duty to advance the leader's mission.  Employees of 
charismatic leaders also experience greater work satisfaction, 
greater personal commitment and exhibit higher productivity.  The 
companies with charismatic CEO's enjoy higher stock prices and a 
charismatic CEO has a particularly strong effect during financial 
turmoil in raising funds for his or her company.
  But charisma is not just for those in leadership roles.
  It's charisma that helps determine which ideas get adopted and 
how effectively your projects are implemented.  For example, 
charisma is critical anytime you're applying for a job.  No 
matter what their position, charismatic people also receive 
higher performance ratings.  They tend to enjoy higher salaries 
and get more promotions.  And they're viewed as more attractive 
by their superiors.
  And this can all be backed up by science?
  Indeed.  For example, in controlled lab experiments it was 
discovered that people could lower and raise their level of 
charisma like turning a dial.  More specifically, the MIT media 
lab looked at how critical your body language is to your 
effectiveness.  They were able to predict the outcomes of sales 
calls, negotiations and business plan pitches with 87% accuracy 
not by listening to a single word of content, but by analyzing 
voice fluctuations and the facial expressions of the person 
pitching.  Charisma is what enables one sales person to outsell 
the other five in his district combined.
  Can you talk a little more about the science of body language 
and its impact on charisma?
  There are two critical things you need to know about body 
language.  First, we can't fake charismatic body language.  Even 
when we control the main expression on our face, if what's deeper 
inside is anti-charismatic, that will come out.  That's because, 
no matter how well we think we're controlling our facial 
expression, micro-facial expressions will still appear.  And even 
if they're as short as 17-32 milliseconds, people will be able to 
detect them.
  Secondly, you don't control your body language consciously.  
Finally, you control your subconscious mind, which is why so much 
of this book is actually Jedi mind tricks, like doing 
visualizations.  For example, one way to both feel and broadcast 
confidence is by imagining yourself puffing up like a big 
gorilla.  Because of the way visuals hit our limbic brain faster 
than our cortex, it's one technique that can get your body 
language instantly to a charismatic state.  The secret is to get 
you into the right charismatic mind to teach you to get a 
charismatic brain so you then exhibit the right charismatic body 
language so that then you are charismatic.
  You said we can't fake charismatic body language, but can we 
fake charisma? Are there people who seem to be charismatic but 
really aren't?
  No.  Either they're charismatic or not.  It's that simple.  And 
if they are charismatic, it's because internally they're doing 
the right Jedi mind tricks.  Now they may be insincere at a 
deeper level, but in the moment, like all good megalomaniacs, 
they believe what it is they're doing.  Now I'm not saying 
charisma isn't potentially dangerous.  It is.  Which is why the 
last section of my book is called "Use It Responsibly." This 
stuff is powerful and could have terribly disastrous effects.
  For example?
  You can get people to do whatever you want them to do.  Think 
about that.
  How is charisma useful in difficult business situations?
  So charisma is perfect when you have to deal with a 
particularly difficult person and you have to win their trust and 
rebuild the relationship.  You could turn on either focus or 
warmth charisma which will enable you to establish an emotional 
bond with pretty much anyone.
  You talk a lot about Bill Clinton.  Why is he such a great 
example?
  Because Clinton is one of the few figures who leads with 
warmth.  Most other people lead with power or focus or they're 
not charismatic at all.  He has all three elements.  He's got 
presence.  He's fully focused on making you feel like you're the 
only person in the room.  He's got power obviously; he's a 
high-status individual.  And he's got warmth because that is what 
he broadcasts.  That's what makes him superstar charismatic.
  And our current President?
  He leads more with focus.  He leads with intelligence.  He 
doesn't lead as much with warmth, which is one of the reasons 
he's struggling a bit.  People are less forgiving of him.  
Someone who leads with warmth will be forgiven for anything.
  You offer many science-backed techniques, but won't they appear 
contrived if a newbie tries to follow them?
  That's why first, we're doing Jedi mind tricks.  We're going 
straight to the mind, so that you actually are sincere.  I also 
always recommend practicing new things that might make you 
uncomfortable in low-stake situations like the checkout counter 
of a grocery store.  Don't try something big or new in a 
high-stakes environment.
  Do you find yourself constantly assessing others' level of 
charisma, even when you're off the clock so to speak?
  Not really.  Because I like being off duty.
  Copyright B) 2012 Mansueto Ventures LLC.  All rights reserved.