Charisma

I was once asked by a colleague if I was a “hi” person.

What?

“Yeah,” he continued, “do you say ‘hi’ to people you meet when running on the trail? Do you say ‘hi”’ to your coworkers in the morning? Do you spend small bits of time finding out about their life, their current work projects, their state of well-being?”

Hmmmm . . . I never thought of it.

Turns out there is a term for the folks that connect with others in an energetic yet focused manner. It’s called Charismatic connector. Research tells us that teams who have charismatic connectors outperform teams who bury their heads in the sand of work.

I’ve always been intrigued by charisma. What does it mean? How can I increase my level of charisma?

Charisma comes from a Greek word which means “gift of grace.”  Charisma means gifting kindness to others. And what can be more kind than taking the time to connect and listen to others? In short, charisma is effective communication.

Included in most every job description is “requires effective communication skills.”

Included in most every resume is “has exceptional communication skills.”

Not once is “skilled at email” included on either the job description or the resume.

Yet, according to Toastmaster’s International February 2017 magazine “43 percent of workers avoid spontaneous conversations in favor of email and myriad collaboration tools that enable them to have short ‘conversations’ throughout the day.”

How do you increase your level of charisma?

  1. Step out of your bubble. Walk around the office, notice people and what they are doing.
  2. Be curious and listen. Take an interest regardless of how it impacts you. Turn off your inner chatter and refrain from glancing at your electronics.
  3. Think positively. Biggest turn off – a sour puss. Stop finding things to complain about claiming you are a “realist”. Truth is, negativity is a turn off.
  4. Body Language.  Pictures tell a thousand words and so does your body language. Slouching, tired, frowning – all conversation enders. Use energetic gestures to show confidence and passion.
  5. Be quick about it! Short and sweet, lively and fun is the key.
  6. No one is off the list. Take time to talk to leaders, team members, customers/clients, and those not on your team or directly connected to your team.

How can you turn on the gift of charisma, aka effective communication skills, and in turn, increase productivity? Give the gift of noticing others. When seeing the brilliance of others, you will turn on the brilliance of the team.