GUEST POST: The Hidden Saboteur of Many Leaders

I am happy to present Lisa Smith to you this morning. She works on the self-talk that brings down even the greatest minds. Enjoy!

Whether you have always gravitated toward leadership roles or you were thrust into a leadership role because of a cause or mission you are passionate about, effective leadership takes courage, patience, empathy, confidence, likability, and trust. But most of all, it takes courage.

Courage to step up where others wouldn’t, to put yourself in front of people and declare yourself a leader, and to motivate others to take action based on your direction. Leadership is not for the weak-minded.

But even the most promising or best-intentioned leaders can get trapped by the gremlins of negative internal dialog. Fear and limiting beliefs can cause one to doubt himself, his direction, his mission. This can lead to hesitation on decision-making, confusing or conflicting direction for action, or worst of all, ego-maniacal behavior.

As a student and teacher of the mind and behavior, I understand what causes people to fall short of their goals no matter how strong the motivation is to succeed. It has been my work for over 16 years to help others (and myself) to neutralize these inner gremlins and achieve far greater potential.

Whatever results you are getting in your life or your business, your mission is a direct result of your thoughts. I use the TEAR formula to explain this.

Your Thoughts create Emotions (based on the judgment or meaning we give to something—positive or negative). Your Emotions in turn influence your Action (what you do). And your Action in turn produces a Result (cause and effect).

As humans, we are always seeking to give “meaning” to events and that is what causes us trouble. Yet, events have no inherent meaning. Different people can assign differing meanings to the same event. For example, rain is neither good nor bad; it just “is.” However, a bride with an outdoor wedding planned can judge the rain as “bad” and a farmer in a drought can judge the rain as “good.” Neither is true—it’s just a judgment or perception.

When we’re growing up, we create beliefs (“rules” we take on as “absolutes” and “truths”) about ourselves, the world, others, money, relationships, food, etc. We then function off of those beliefs, which are a large part of our thought process. If we have limiting beliefs (beliefs that limit our or anothers’ ability), our perception and thought process is skewed and will create negative emotions (the greatest of which is FEAR), creating less-than-optimal (and often destructive) action, which will lead to results in kind.

For many leaders, limiting beliefs that cause inertia or self-sabotage can be, “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not important,” “What I have to say isn’t important,” “If I say/do this, I’ll be rejected,” “If I make a mistake I’ll be rejected,” among, of course, others.

Which of these do you recognize saying to yourself from time to time (or even often)? If you need to be confident and motivational with your “flock,” can you see how having one or more of these limiting beliefs can cause problems for you?

Limiting beliefs can be insidious in their destruction of great leaders and the people they are meant to help. Finding ways to identify and eliminate them–and their habits–is one of the best investments leaders can make to ensure their ability to carry out the mission and effect the change they are dedicated to create.

************************

Lisa Smith, the Marketing, Mindset & Manifesting Coach for service-based business owners helps themget more clients, serve more people, and make more money through tools such as hypnosis, NLP, EFT and other techniques that expose and clear the inner gremlins that most don’t even realize are playing the major role in keeping them stuck, stressed, and broke. You can learn more about these concepts and how she helps people by downloading her free audio, “The 3 Keys you MUST Master to Attract Your Ideal Clients and Make More Money With Less Effort” at www.mmmcoach.com.

Preface of New Ebook, “One-of-a-Kind”

I am very excited to be introducing my new ebook next week! One of a Kind: The Powerhouse Strategy for Standing Out and Leading the Way With Your Business.

I will be doing an interview call with Therese Skelly on Thursday May 3rd, so if you want an early bird copy of the book, go check out what I’ll be sharing with her!

Until then, here is the preface of the book…

 

PREFACE:

In fifth grade, we were given, “antiestablishmentarian,” as a spelling word. Now, I don’t know how it was defined for us—what eleven year-old understands the “establishment”? But I instantly knew how to spell it and I instantly understood (and felt affinity for) its meaning. Its official definition is: “viewing a nation’s or society’s power structure as corrupt, repressive, exploitive or unjust,” but its common use definition is, “The practice of being anti or against most everything that was established as the norm (marriage, government and laws, and most obviously war).”

 The year before, I had lopped off the “E” from the front of my given name, despite having been named after my father’s favorite sister who had been killed in a car accident—so perhaps I raised my hand in class and asked my fifth grade teacher if I was an antiestablishmentarian—and perhaps she nodded. The moment of dawning.

Or perhaps I spoke up and told Mrs. Patterson that when I was in my mother’s belly, my father had left his congregation and family to march for civil rights in Mississippi with Martin Luther King. “Is my father an antiestablishmentarian?” I may have asked. Or, I may have waved my hand again, even then eager to ruffle feathers in that post-Vietnam War world, and told the class how one of my brothers had dropped his weight dramatically to avoid the draft and that another had taken to the road at fifteen for a three-month solo bike-riding odyssey. “Are my brothers antiestablishmentarians, too?” If so, I can picture Mrs. Patterson smiling tightly and even nervously and acknowledging, yes, your family is antiestablishmentarian.

So, I come by the practice of going against—if not being against–established norms honestly, and have a long track record of living my life that way. In high school, Shakespeare moved me when I first heard, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” Indeed, I named my first business, a coaching business, Living True. And in college, I first read Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance essay and fell in love with his quote that sums up all I believe, “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”

You cannot separate this life-long practice of going against the established norm from anything I think, say, or do—including, most especially, how I have shaped my business and how I conduct it. Every single program I have created from the inception of my entrepreneurial career over ten years ago with a coaching business–is different from anything else you’ll find out there. And today, I help my clients shape programs that are different from anything else out there.

I know that to be successful in business and life, we must pull away from external authorities–the established norm—and plug into our internal authority…no matter how unpopular we may be for it. That is our place of freedom, and I stand for every human being living in that freedom—and I cannot help but help my clients get there as one-of-a-kind, stand-apart leaders who lead the way.

And so I write this book for you. To help you claim that freedom that is your birthright and to give you some direction in making your business one-of-a-kind. It must be, you know. Not just because every business must be differentiated, but because you are here on a special mission—to lead the way–and you cannot do it by being like everyone else. You must leave the pack to fulfill your purpose!

In this book, I am going to guide you through the steps to leaving behind the established norm, to going where there is no path so you leave a trail.

I welcome you to the land of the antiestablishmentarians!

To the land of the free, the brave, and the successful.

How I Got Certain of My Career Purpose: Letter to Client

A client asked me the other day how I came to have such conviction about my
purpose. It came on the heels of my having told her that, as a leader of change,
 she needs to have “certainty” about that. That it’s her time now to move into
power and play much bigger.  When she wrote me a couple of hours later, asking
me how I’d come to eb so certain,  I had to think about it!  I’d never had to “pull apart”
or articulate HOW it is that I know with such certainty that I am here to “activate”
the leaders and help them build successful one-of-a-kind business empires. Here’s 
how I answered her:

Here are some contributing factors:

1. I am really in touch with my emotions; always have been, and I don’t like anything
that feels bad. That’s why I could never work for anyone else, because I hated it. I
couldn’t stay in a marriage that felt wrong, and am 10 years into a relationship that
feels  great.  There are downsides to only wanting what feels good: I tend to
procrastinate on anything that doesn’t feel good and am rather moody when
doing something I hate.

However, all of this fine-tuned awareness of my feelings has repelled career paths
that felt bad, and drawn me to those that feel good, and 25+ years of that kind of
intuitive “tacking” has brought me to a spot in my life where I’m doing what I love
and am good at because I only cultivated the skills that I really enjoyed. After all of
these years, sorting out good-feelings from bad-feelings, my intuition is a finely
honed and powerful tool in my arsenal and it has led to “I KNOW.”  That kind of
certainty. I work with clients whose feelings aren’t that keenly felt, and so making
decisions can be very hard. And decisions are “certainties.” There is a great deal of
neuroscientific research that proves that if we can’t feel, we can’t decide. Read this
USA Today article  here.

2. Honestly, another answer that comes to mind is that I’ve done my own work–
meaning, the work I take others through. I know so well my own convictions because
of those deep, penetrating questions. For instance, in The Powerhouse Method(TM),
clients must assert their *single* contention for their market–and this is a very large
step in revealing their purpose. Then, I have them excavate their “mountain top
message”–their leadership message, that is their message for humanity. It’s really a
big message. When they get this clear, they’re almost home to certainty. Then, we
craft their mission statement and determine their one-of-a-kind solution and after
all of this, they are convicted about their reason for being here. I did all of this for
myself, of course, and no one can walk out of that not KNOWING.

3. I also have the certainty I have because of my career history. I have spent years
developing  my expertise–skills, again, that I am good. My conviction comes from
knowing my value to my market.

4. Additionally, I am madly in love with my market of service entrepreneurs here
to do big things in the world. Certainy comes from that and from knowing I’m a
perfect match for them.

5. And lastly (I guess, though I’m sure I’ll go to bed, thinking of more)…I bring my 
beliefs into it all (part of what I do in the PHMethod for others), so I’m clear that I
believe this is a special time in history, and *the* time for service entrepreneurs to
move into roles of leadership during this historic transition. I am DEEPLY convicted
about that…and that reinfoces my certainty of my role to ensure they succeed.

So, in summary: I am so certain of my purpose because I know how to feel what is
wrong from right for me, by years of sorting out what feels good from bad. If you are
not sure of how you feel, this will be a problem. You will stay stuck in analysis
paralysis and waffle for years. I encourage everyone to start small and notice their
” body’s speak.” Notice what your body says when you’re looking at a menu filled
with choices. It is what tells you if you want chicken or fish. Pay attention to those
cues. Then, start to notice how it feels when you’re reaching for the phone to call
someone: does it *really* want to talk to that person, or are you just doing it from
habit? I am also so certain about my purpose because I know my message to my
market and my message to humanity; I know what my unique offering is; I am
passionate about a certain population and have beliefs about their purpose that fuel
my certainty about my own. I encourage everyone to find a population they’re in
love with, and to look into their beliefs about what that population is here for; doing
so will help cement their own purpose.

I am thankful for this client asking me this question, and I hope my answer was
helpful for all.  Here’s to changing the world with your message!

 

A Successful Expert But Still Not Feeling Your Big Purpose? Reason #2

I’d like to round-out this discussion with the other reason you may not be feeling a BIG
PURPOSE—though you’re successful. You may not be utilizing your skills and
talents
for a far-reach aspiration: both yours and your markets’.

When I launched my 2nd business,
Inspired Leadership Training, in 2006,
I was teaching an incredible public
speaking program, Secrets of Impact
and Influence
, based on the latest
brain research in learning. What was
I helping people do, initially? For a
long time, it was “get more clients” by
using public speaking as a marketing
tool. Then, for an equally long time, 
I was helping them to “be the best
presenter in their field”—because this program really delivers that. Then, I was helping
them be responsible experts, raising their standards so they were teaching with
unparalleled excellence—a requirement, in my book, for giving paid presentations,
seminars, trainings, etc. 

But the problem was, these skills and talent of mine, which were able to produce these
promises, were not connecting to a part of me that was alive and well outside of my
business: a part that was becoming aware of and studying global human potential.
I was watching the central institutions of our world collapse around us, and the rising
up of populations demanding freedom and human rights. I knew that this activity was
going to reach a climax—and that leaders with great wisdom would start coming out of
the woodwork, as if suddenly “activated” or called to their purpose. And I knew my
market—a subset of coaches, consultants, authors and speakers–were those up-and-
coming leaders.

Despite this, I was still promoting SII around more practical goals: getting more
business and being one of the best presenters/teachers. Yet, the fact was, this
particular public speaking model was tailor-made for the leaders
.
 For
those who would be called to serve in the global human potential movement. Indeed,
that’s why I had gravitated to learning neuroscience and applying it to public speaking
in the first place!! I had known it could move mountains and mount movements—but
I wasn’t talking about that in my promotion of the course, and not even in the course,
with those seated before me!

My skills and talents were not taking my market far enough, And they were
not taking me far enough into things that mattered most to me. Finally, just a few
months ago, I leapt off the cliff and made it clear that everything I do is specifically
designed for those who want to change the world—who want to be true, inspired leaders.
Not every coach, consultant, speaker or author wants my skills to take them there
they’re more attracted to my older, more pragmatic promises–but so many do! Many
are being “called” to bigger stages every single day and the higher calling of my
skills and talents
(that extend beyond public speaking, by the way) is reaching
out to them
.

So, if you’re not feeling your Big Purpose, look at how far you are taking your followers
with your skills and talents. Where could you take them that’s bigger, higher, grander,
more meaningful—more inspirational?

If you’re one of the called—if you know you are an inspired leader—Big
Purpose known or unknown—it is your time to lead. Be sure to experience
my call Thursday, Feb. 23: A Time to Lead: Do You Dare?

Inspired Leaders’ Academy Launches!

 

 

 

 

 

Do you feel an unrelenting, driving purpose to contribute to the empowerment
of the planet…and a clarity that that purpose should be manifested as a business,
not a hobby or volunteer cause…and a business that must succeed because your
mission
is that important to the world…and because freedom, creativity and
autonomy is that important to your spirit? Do you have a powerful belief that
things in the world can be changed–and must be changed—and that we’re all
here
, at this critical point in history, to change them? And that YOU are here at
this critical time in history to help LEAD that change with a penetrating message
…on a much bigger stage than any you’ve stood on before? And…are you
determined to do whatever it takes?

Inspired Leaders’ Academy is your home: The Definitive Business School for
Visionary Entrepreneurs Changing the World.

It’s fitting to launch this new venture on Martin Luther King Jr’s official birthday.
He was, of course, one of the great inspired leaders of our times, and Inspired
Leaders’ Academy is dedicated to building a “special forces unit” of leaders
dedicated to empowering the world to higher ground…visionary entrepreneurs
ready to break the rules, thrive in a business, and change  the world their message.

I’ve built the Academy to be specifically designed for you–because as a business
owner called to change the world, there’s something you need to know: you are in a DIFFERENT BUSINESS than the vast majority of other service-based entrepreneurs
and so you must DO business differently. And it’s critical that you build or reinvent
your business inside  of a curriculum that understands that difference, or you’ll
spend years you can’t afford on the wrong track.

Your messaging is more important for you than for any other type of entrepreneur
out there…

At Inspired Leaders’ Academy, you build a business empire based on your one-of-
a-kind inspirational leadership message. The free training video on the homepage
explains not just how ILA is different, but it goes into the 5 ways you are different
from all other business owners, the 6 ways you must DO business differently, the
6-step “sales path” you need your prospects to walk in order for you to build a
thriving business that changes the world, and the 8-step path *you* must walk in
order to manifest that sales path. It’s a lot of  essential information. I hope you’ll
go watch it now.

Here’s to 2012 and the outrageous potential within you to change the world with
your message!!!

Do You Dare to Lead?

In some circles, I say that I am in the business of communication–
but the bigger truth is that I’m in the business of developing leaders
of change
, who, of course, must communicate with extraordinary
skill. Throughout most of history, leaders of change were confined
to the political, academic, religious and corporate stages. In fact, for
thousands of years, all power resided in these arenas, and the “little
person” had virtually no voice.

But as we see these industries crumbling, we are witnessing an historic
“changing of the guard,” as power moves back to the people. Daily,
leaders of change are leaping onto their own make-shift stages,
right there in the middle of a crowd. We have seen this phenomenon
spike dramatically in just three or four years, as YouTube, Amazon,
Facebook and iTunes stage new leaders every day. It doesn’t matter
their age, race, education or economic standing, new voices are rising
to the fore almost by the minute—confident, compelling and effective.
We can expect this sensation to reach a tipping point very soon, as
more and more people claim their power, their “internal authority,”
and lead us all in planetary change.

If you are such a visionary, congratulations. You’ve cleared the highest
hurdle of all: the concern that you are too insignificant to lead, too small
to effect change. Something became more important than your fear and
allowed you to sail over those obstacles.

If you have been hanging back, now is the time to do the same. Now is
the time to recognize that you came here to take the innate, hard-earned
wisdom and knowledge within you and heal others. You are a leader of
change.

But listen: that role carries on its shoulders nothing less than our
collective future. The responsibility is great. But you were born for
the job, so that won’t trip you up. But here’s what might: your need
for approval is greater than your intent for change.
When you
could push the envelope, ruffle feathers, rock the boat, risk criticism
by doing things differently and leading “out of the box”—you will
instead stay safe within it. But unchanged  …and changing nothing.

You do not have time or the luxury any more to ask yourself, am I
a leader
? You are! The question is, do I dare to lead? Or is it more
important for me to follow…the tastes, preferences and safety zones
of others so they admire me? Not for my brilliance, but for keeping
them comfortable?

For the “New Paradigm,” Inspired Leader, the profound, inner
passion to effect change, to impact the future, is greater than the
need for approval. Indeed, the New Paradigm, Inspired Leader turns
away from all external authority and acts from his inner authority,
a power-center of certainty, self-trust and conviction that by its very
definition pulls him to think what others fear to think, do what others
fear to do and go where others fear to go.

The New Paradigm, Inspired Leader follows nothing but her
own truth, no matter how unpopular it may be–because she knows
that’s
what engenders change. And change is what matters. She is in
service to others; that’s what matters. She will do what must be done
to serve effectively, with power, impact and integrity.

The world is waiting for you; the stage is lit and ready. It’s time for
you to step up and raise your voice. The question is not anymore, am I
a leader
? The question is, do I dare to lead, and make some uncomfortable?
Is my intent for change greater than my need for approval?

If so, the mic is on. Go give ‘em your best shot.

 

If you dare move into the New Paradigm of Inspired Leadership…
one step may be the free Virtual Visionaries call Wednesday May 18.
You may sign up for that here. Another will most definitely be
Secrets of Impact & Influence: The 2-Day Event
, coming
to New Jersey, Sept. 23 and 24th. Watch for details!

The First-Ever Teleclass Game Show Was a Hit!

I gave a teleclass this week and last where my listeners
were contestants! The entire group had to fulfill a single
task in just 3 minutes, with some basic raw materials.

I told them what needed to be accomplished but that
“how” they accomplished it would be all up to them.  I
let them know that to “beat the clock” would require
creativity, ingenuity, fearlessness, passion and dedica-
tion. In a nutshell, it would require leadership and
cooperation—the two key words of the “new paradigm”
we, as a species, are moving into.

I then told them that this task was going to teach on
many levels. It would teach them about how to teach
(the reason they were on the call in the first place); it
would teach them about leadership—theirs and others;
it would teach about their own fears, inhibitions, doubts
and strengths. And it would teach them about the ability
to enroll others in a vision.

So, how did they do on this task? Class One, from Thurs.
Feb 24, did not beat the clock, set at 3 minutes. They
came in at 4:23. Yesterday’s class came in at 4:52. First,
I congratulate ALL of them for being there in the first
place. I didn’t record this and they knew they had to be
there live, and they were. And I congratulate them for
playing the game at all, with a bunch of strangers!!! So,
woo-hoo to them!!

But what was the hold-up with the time? The task required
“leaders” to step forward at 3 different points. Their roles
were very simple. Nothing confusing (I’d made sure to
give them a chance to ask any necessary questions), but
they had to step forward. And do something that could
have been viewed as silly by the group.

Group One leaders came forward rather readily; their
breakdown had mostly to do with time-management.
Group Two, however, was reticent to step into leader-
ship roles. To encourage them, I reminded them, “How
you do anything is how you do everything!” Because,
as I had told them, this would teach on many levels,
not the least being seeing how they react to the threat
of looking foolish, or to the threat of being imperfect (!)
–because how they react here is how they react every-
where. 

And I reminded them of the truth: that they are being
called into leadership, as this world we live in rapidly
changes. I reminded them that this is their calling. Yet
still, Group Two (and to some extent, Group One, too)
hung back.

Now, I was teaching them Page 13 from my Secrets of
Impact & Influence
public speaking training. I call it
the  “10-Don’t-Bother-Speaking-or-Teaching-Without-
These” Factors of Deep and Rapid Learning (and this
Beat-the-Clock game was implementing all 10, though
they didn’t realize that until later.) But for me, what
was taught most profoundly was the hesitancy around
leadership. Group Two was in competition–and I could
feel that there were several on the call quite into beating
Group One’s time–and yet that wasn’t enough. Now,
of course, eventually, all 3 leaders DID materialize. 
And they did an amazing job of carrying the entire rest
of the group forward. So, the leaders stepped up! But
it took something for them to do it. And we didn’t have
enough time on the call to review what it is they said
to themselves to get them to speak up, but I’m going to
ask them to come on over here and tell us their story.
What got them to finally move into leadership?

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Where your
leadership was being called forth? How did you react?
Did you wait to see if someone else would step forward
first? Did you hear chatter in your head that had some-
thing to do with fear of making a mistake or looking
foolish? Or did you come barreling to the front of the
proverbial (or not) room?

Leadership is calling to all service entrepreneurs at this
time. Inspired leadership, in particular. Are you ready?

I’d love to hear some of your experiences! And leaders
from the calls–let us know what finally got you to move
onto center stage!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the very
first teleclass game show! It was a “hoot” and I learned
so much! Hugs!

Charisma: Do You Have That Elusive Magic?

Have you ever met someone who manages to inspire—not coerce—
you into doing something you would not normally do? You find
yourself giving in to the Chicken Dance, or getting up for a Karaoke
song…and you’re stone sober. This person feels downright magnetic
and you tend to forget yourself entirely. Later, when analysis of your
uncommon behavior kicks in, you decide, without question, that this
special person had charisma.

The dictionary defines charisma as “a rare personal quality attributed
to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm.”

Perhaps because charisma is “rare,” we all instantly recognize it. We
see it in someone who has exuberance, joie de vivre, magnetism,
charm, or “electricity.” However we describe it, charisma seems to
evoke deep devotion, reverence and even blind faith from followers.

If charisma is a “quality attributed to leaders,” it becomes necessary
to ask ourselves, then: Do I have it? And to what degree?

Research associates charismatic people with six descriptors: emo-
tionally expressive, enthusiastic, eloquent, visionary, self-confident
and responsive to others. Other characteristics include unusual
calmness, confidence, assertiveness, authenticity, focus—and almost
always, superb communication and/or oratorical skills.

How are you doing so far?

The Body Speaks

Charisma reaches us on a distinctly subliminal level. It can be meas-
ured through nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures and
body movements. For example, charismatic people smile naturally,
with wrinkling around the eyes and often touch friends during conver-
sations. Other research finds people who shift posture more often and
use more eyebrow raises appear more charismatic.

Other physical signals compel us, as well. Some researchers have
found that synchrony is connected to charisma. This is the ability
to align or match the mannerisms of the person to whom you’re
speaking. “Synchrony creates a positive, enjoyable experience,”
says Frank Bernieri, PhD, an Oregon State University psychology
professor. “When that kind of synchrony occurs with a single person,
you think they are charismatic.” He’s found that many speakers and
entertainers mesmerize listeners into synchrony in the timing of
their breaths, gestures and the rhythm of their speech, where they
“breathe and sway in tune with the speaker. It’s all about timing,
repetition and rhythmic cadence, raising amplitude at key points.
This is a craft, and you have to play the crowd like improvisational
jazz. The charismatic individual knows the gestures but also has the
innate ability to play any given audience.”

The Heart Has It

A great deal of research on charisma indicates the presence of strong
social and emotional intelligence. Leaders who are instantly
recognized as being charismatic immediately and deeply empathize
and connect with others, leaving their listeners feeling understood and
interested. When we experience this synergy with another person,
we tend to feel a magnetic pull to them. We’ve all known this with
lovers—he or she “gets us” as no one else ever has and suddenly
we’re drawn into a force field that feels much bigger than ourselves.
A charismatic leader naturally creates this same kind of electricity—
by genuinely caring and empathizing with whomever they’re speaking.

The Power of Words

“Charismatic people are essentially brilliant communicators,” says
Ronald Riggio, professor of leadership and organizational psychology
at Claremont McKenna College in California.

Dean Keith Simonton, author of the book “Why Presidents Succeed”
argues that America’s successful presidents used language rich in
meaning to shape charismatic personas. “Words with basic emotions,
sensations or visions, such as love, hate, greedy or evil, have a rich-
ness that connects with an audience,” says Simonton. “People don’t
have rich associations with abstract words. ‘I feel your pain’ has asso-
ciation, but ‘I can relate to your viewpoint’ doesn’t.” Abstract words
register on the intellectual plane, and must be translated into images.
Image-based words need no translation. “The most charismatic presidents
reached an emotional connection with people talking not to their brains
but to their gut
.”

For instance, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Abraham
Lincoln used twice as many metaphors in their inaugural addresses as
did their less riveting counterparts.

In addition to words themselves, Cynthia Emrich, professor of manage-
ment at the College of William and Mary believes that leaders must
stand for something. “If the leader is attractive, but you don’t have any
clue where he or she stands, you can’t identify with him.” In other words,
he or she must have vision.

Indeed, out of eight theories of charismatic, visionary, and transforma-
tional leadership, eleven behavioral dimensions were noted. But only
one–visionary behavior–was represented in all eight theories. Visionary
behavior involves the articulation of “an ideological goal…that emphasizes
fundamental values such as beauty, order, honesty, dignity, and human
rights.” It has been found that charismatic leaders inspire extraordinary
commitment and devotion by including many references to history and
tradition; to their own identification with followers, as well as to shared
values and moral justifications
.” This visionary leader stands for
something and inspires others to stand alongside him.

Your Own Charisma Factor

When you read about the qualities of charisma, how do you feel you
rate? Do you think, “Yeah, I’ve got it most of the time,” or do you
lament, “I’m not even close!”?

Muscles of charisma can be flexed. The first step is being willing to go
out of your comfort zones. If you’re on the lower-end of the scale, I’m
ready to bet that you are reserved and shy. Fear is acting on you:
fear of what others will think of you if your “break free”; fear of what
will be done to you; fear that somehow you’ll lose your identity. So,
question one: are you willing to stretch yourself out of your comfort
zones…to be the kind of leader people that can inspire others to do the
Chicken Dance? All kidding aside…do you want to be someone others
find so compelling that they actually make positive change? Because
that’s ultimately what a charismatic person does: inspires others to
change for the better.

Assess yourself daily on the qualities of charisma and find ways to
strengthen the muscle. Soon, you won’t just have loyal followers—
you’ll have groupies!

We’re down to the wire on registration for my powerful 2-day public
speaking training. We devote an entire evening to exploding your
charisma factor! It’s in less than 2 weeks. You can read about it here.

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