The Clear Traits Of A Leader With Charisma

How to raise your charisma

Charisma concept word cloud background

Leaders must maintain a high level of charisma. Charisma can be defined as a, “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” Leaders with charisma influence and gain the trust of those they lead. Charisma is a key aspect when it comes to leading successfully. Warren Bennis said, “Charisma is the result of effective leadership, not the other way around.” Below are clear traits of a leader with charisma. Focus on and implement them into your leadership to increase your charisma.

Positive attitude 

Your habitual attitude really does matter. You should have and maintain a positive and good attitude. Those with a positive attitude speak far more kind, uplifting, encouraging, and affirming words; and fewer negative or sabotaging words. Leaders with a positive attitude: attract the right kinds of people, create a winning environment, and impact those around them for the good. It does not stop with your words though. You should also smile more and have an open body language.

Attitude is a choice. You should make a daily commitment to shift your attitude toward the positive, no matter what happens to or around you. Here are three practical ways to have a positive attitude:

  1. When you first wake up tell yourself “I will have a good and positive attitude today and see the best in people.”
  2. Take some time to evaluate and preposition your attitude when something bad or negative happens to you.
  3. Complement or say something nice to the people you encounter.

Be interested 

Leaders who have charisma are interested in people. A woman was asked her impressions of the two English statesmen Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone after dining with them. She said,


Clearly, Mr. Disraeli was more interested in people than Mr. Gladstone. Interested leaders spend time around people getting to know them and then bring out the best in them. They are not self-focused but others focused. Being interested in people is not a natural trait, human nature tells us to look after and focus on ourselves. However, like any other trait, being genuinely interested in others can be developed. Here are 3 ways to become more interested in other people:

  1. Make the people you are taking with the center of attention.
  2. Invest time on the front lines and around the office space to connect and get to know your people.
  3. Begin to identify the uniqueness and the best in other people and communicate how much you value that aspect of them.

Remain Purpose-Driven  

There is a reason and purpose for your leadership position. In business, it largely relates to increasing profits and shareholdings while in non-profit organizations it relates to helping a cause and/or people. If you can obtain consistent results in those areas of your business or organization, you will remain in a leadership position.

Leaders must make sure what they are leading is going in the right direction. Purpose-driven leaders use the leadership skills to: gather a team together and influences them toward common goals and the overall purpose. This is a challenging though. The many daily distractions and unexpected crisis can cause a leader to lose focus of the main priorities that would allow them to remain on course, toward the purpose. To overcome that challenge I recommend:

  1. Always keeping the purpose and required results in front of you, were you can daily see them.
  2. Leading by example.  Maintain a high level of energy and a drive for action.
  3. Creating a culture were results are expected and rewarded.

Questions: What are some other clear traits of a leader who has charisma? How do you remain and increase your charisma?

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