Focus Charisma: Presence and Confidence

Focus charisma is primarily based on a perception of presence. It gives people the feeling that you are fully present with them, listening to them and absorbing what they say. Focus charisma makes people feel heard, listened to, and understood. Don‘t underestimate this kind of charisma; it can be surprisingly powerful.

What people notice: We assess focus charisma entirely through demeanor. Presence is key: because we can perceive any distracted, inattentive body language, such signals would quickly undermine focus charisma.

Once you have it: Focus charisma is perhaps the easiest form of charisma to access, and can be surprisingly effective, but it comes with two main risks. The first is that if you display too little power you could come across as too eager, and consequently low-status or even subservient. A less common risk is exhibiting too little warmth, which leads to attention that is too intense. If you become laser-focused, your interaction may start to feel like an interview, or, worse yet, an interrogation. This is where you need to balance focus with warmth and acceptance or genuine respect, and the following two chapters will show you just how to do that. Though it is primarily based on presence, focus charisma still requires a modicum of both confidence and warmth. You can‘t discard either dimension entirely.

When to use it: Focus charisma is appropriate for almost all business situations. It‘s particularly useful when you need people to open up and share information. In fact, this is a great charisma style for management consultants or those in other professional services, such as lawyers, accountants, and financial advisers. Focus charisma can also be very helpful in difficult situations, such as negotiations or to defuse hostile conversations. On the other hand, avoid focus charisma when you need to appear authoritative or during emergencies when you need immediate compliance.

Visionary Charisma: Belief and Confidence

Visionary charisma makes others feel inspired; it makes us believe. It can be remarkably effective even though it won‘t necessarily make people like you. Steve Jobs was notoriously feared inside Apple and had many detractors both within and without, but even these detractors readily admitted to his being both visionary and charismatic. Why is visionary charisma so effective and powerful? Because of our natural discomfort with uncertainty. In a constantly changing world, we crave something solid to cling to.

What people notice: We assess visionary charisma primarily through demeanor, which includes body language and behavior. Due to the fact that people tend to accept whatever you project, if you seem inspired, they will assume you have something to be inspired about. For visionary charisma, appearance matters far less than it does for other charisma styles. You could be wearing rags and still successfully convey visionary charisma.

One of the keys to communicating your visionary charisma is getting yourself into a state of complete conviction, shedding any doubt, such as rewriting reality, to strengthen your belief, or the responsibility transfer, to free yourself from the effect of uncertainty.

Once you have it: Visionary charisma can inspire fervent belief and lead monumental change. However, it can also inspire fanatical belief and lead people to disastrous decisions (cult leader Jim Jones persuaded nine hundred people to commit mass suicide).

When to use it: Visionary charisma is important at times when you need to inspire people. It‘s particularly helpful when you want to inspire creativity.

Kindness Charisma: Warmth and Confidence

When you‘re a baby, no matter what you do your parents will think you‘re perfect just as you are. But after a few months, their acceptance becomes conditional. You now have to eat your carrots and smile at Grandma to earn approval. Seldom will you feel again such complete unconditional acceptance from anyone, with the exception, perhaps, of the first few stages of falling in love. One of the reasons that the Dalai Lama has such a powerful effect on people is his ability to radiate both tremendous warmth and complete acceptance.

What people notice: Like visionary and focus charisma, kindness charisma comes entirely from body language—specifically your face, and even more specifically your eyes.

Once you have it: Though kindness charisma is based primarily on warmth, without power you risk coming off as overeager to please. This is where the ability to convey a modicum of power becomes important.

When to use it: Kindness charisma is perfect anytime you want to create an emotional bond or make people feel safe and comfortable. It can be critical in some situations, such as when you have to deliver bad news. It can also be a surprisingly effective tool when dealing with difficult people. However, just as with focus charisma, you may want to avoid it when you need to appear authoritative or when there‘s a risk that people might get too comfortable and share too much.

Authority Charisma: Status and Confidence

This form of charisma is possibly the most powerful one of all. Our instinctive deference to authority can take epic proportions, and, of course, can be equally turned toward good or evil. Colin Powell and the Dalai Lama embody authority charisma, but so did Stalin and Mussolini. The human reaction to authority runs deep; it‘s hardwired into our brains.

What people notice: Authority charisma is primarily based on a perception of power: the belief that this person has the power to affect our world. We evaluate someone‘s authority charisma through four indicators: body language, appearance, title, and the reactions of others.

Once you have it: Authority charisma has the advantage that you get listened to and often obeyed. It does, however, have several disadvantages: 

  • It can inhibit critical thinking in others.

  • It doesn‘t invite feedback, so you risk not receiving information you actually need.

  • It can easily make you appear arrogant.

This is where learning to emanate warmth can be your saving grace. Not only will your warmth reduce the risk of your being perceived as arrogant or intimidating, it will also be more highly valued because you‘re now seen as high-status.

When to use it: Authority charisma works well in many business situations, and in any situation where you want people to listen and obey. It‘s particularly useful during a crisis, and whenever you need immediate compliance from people. On the other hand, you might want to avoid it in social settings such as weddings or funerals or in sensitive business situations such as delivering bad news. Avoid it also when you want to encourage creativity or constructive feedback, as it can inhibit critical thinking in others. In these cases, use visionary, focus, or warmth charisma instead.