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Need a leader?
By: Kevin Xu
Being a leader is tough work, I wrote about it here before but next week I’ll be at FBLA State Officer Training.
Sounds all official right? So they will probably train us to organize events, make speeches, “lead” and yadda yadda but then what? I think there is one very important aspect of leadership that just can’t be taught. And that is having the ability for others to look up to and respect you, aka charisma.
It is very important for leaders to have charisma so that in an instant, people will trust you and do what you say in order to get things done. It doesn’t matter if a leader has this super powerful vision for the organization and makes great speeches; if a leader doesn’t have charisma then nothing gets done.
So how does one attempt to be more charismatic? This wiki how-to is a good start, but I’d also like to note one specific about the article, the part about the confidence. Being assertive and looking confident when one really isn’t goes a long way with people and all aspiring leaders should try it.
Just another of my 2 cents.
~Kevin Xu
*Photo courtesy of mjp3000
July 13th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
You make a good point. A truly effective leader is going to be charismatic. As you say, you could give mind blowing speeches, but if you’re conveying it without any passion, then those hearing it will not receive it to its fullest extent.
You write, “Being assertive and looking confident when one really isn’t goes a long way with people and all aspiring leaders should try it.”
Sometimes we can’t force ourselves to feel a certain way. But we can always force ourselves to act a certain way. Often times, when we act a certain way, even if we don’t feel it, we soon begin to feel it. Such as, if you’re not happy, but you act as if you’re happy - this can lead to genuine happiness…
Acting the way you want to act, even if you don’t feel it, is not a foolish thing to do. On the contrary, it’s very wise and necessary at times.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Too bad i didnt come across this blog before. Great stuff you got here. Thanks.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
@Bamboo- I’m very glad you brought up the part about forcing yourself to act a certain way. Many people believe it is morally wrong but sometimes it is indeed a wise and necessary thing to do. Doing something like smiling when you’re really not happy usually does lead to true happiness.
@Psychic- Thanks for reading! Hope you stick tuned to our blog!
July 14th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
@ Kevin: It is DEFINITELY not morally wrong. Have you ever felt like telling a teacher off? Have you ever felt like speaking in a fashion that is disrespectful to your parents? Yes, we feel things all the time. The notion that we should always do what we *feel* is a false one. Sometimes, we have to act in ways we *DO NOT* feel.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I forgot to add it in… But the bottom line is… Just as we often need to force ourselves to act in certain ways in other areas of life - this remains true for our emotions… Why would it be any different?
A bad mood for example. The argument that you must be true about your feelings is entirely without merit. Our obligation is to *fight* our moods. We must make every effort to be in pleasant moods. In the same way that we make every effort to be nice to our neighbors, family and friends - even if we don’t feel like it at the time.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:29 am
@Bamboo- I see where you’re coming from with the obligation to be in pleasant moods and not just erupt in front of people. This is especially important in the business world and for many ventures I will be going into. Another moral well learned =D