177: Charisma For Leaders

<p>“Born to lead” is nonsense.  Many things shaped that person in order for them to achieve credibility with others.  Of course, we can become a “leader” as part of our company designated hierarchy.  We sit somewhere in an organizational chart above others, with various reporting lines elevating us above the hoi polloi.  We know many people with that august title of “leader”, who we would never willingly follow in a million years – pompous, tiresome, incompetent  jerks!</p> <p> </p> <p>Can we become someone who others will follow when all the paraphernalia of leadership pomp and circumstance has been stripped away? At work the definition of a leader is fairly narrow:  they manage processes and build people.  There is leadership more broadly embraced outside of work – parent groups, hobbies, volunteer organisations.  Often these non-work related positions become the sordid playgrounds of amateur politicians.  People who cannot command respect at work, but who have the spare time and energy to manipulate organisations. They seize power and laud it over others.  The rest of us tolerate their maniacal fantasies, because we are too busy working to contest with them. </p> <p> </p> <p>How do we become a better leader, whom others willingly wish to follow? Even being the obvious best at something isn’t enough to get others to want to follow you.  They may defer to our technical excellence and superior knowledge, but they remain skeptical observers.</p> <p> </p> <p>The starting point is critical.  If your desire for leadership is driven by personal aggrandisement and ego, where all good things must flow to you, this force of will factor is not attractive.  Good leadership is differentiated by the followers desire to want to follow, when there is no coercion, structure or impetus to do so.  We gravitate to these leaders because of how they make us feel.</p> <p> </p> <p>Effective leaders are good with people.   There are some key principles they embody, which make us like and trust them. This is not artful manipulation, whe