Research finds that more charisma is not always better
Picture this scenario. A leader speaks from the podium – his voice taking becoming more resonant and passionate as he shares his vision for a bigger and more ambitious future with his team.
They listen, feel his confidence, connect and commit to the plans for bright future. That is charismatic leadership in action – using the power of personal influence, or charisma, to influence others.
What is charisma?
Charisma is one of those leadership traits that is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. For a long time, charisma and leadership seemed to be almost interchangeable terms.
There seemed to be an assumption that leaders looked a certain way, acted a certain way and had an inborn charisma that was critical for success.
Charisma versus Level 5 leadership
Our understanding of effective leadership has evolved to acknowledge that effective leaders can have a variety of personalities, genders, appearances, levels of introversion and more.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins shared research that introduced the concept of Level 5 leadership that showed that many leaders are successful without stereotypical charismatic traits.
Instead, Collins showed that traits such as humility, intense focus and team orientation are also critical for having an impact.
The mystique of charismatic leaders
Even so, the mystique and fascination around charismatic leaders persists – as seen with cult-like following of leaders like Travis Kalanick the founder of Uber, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines or Elon Musk of Tesla.
To deepen our understanding of this elusive trait, a series of scientific studies examined charisma to understand when it is beneficial and when it is detrimental.
The secret revealed is that more charisma is not always better!
Research of Leader Charisma
One paper, “The Double-Edged Sword of Leader Charisma: Understanding the Curvalinear Relationship Between Charismatic Personality and Leader Effectiveness“, by Jasmine Vergauwe, Bart Wille, Joeri Hofmans, Robert Kaiser, and Filip De Fruyt was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in May 2017.
Across three studies, the researchers used some well-proven assessments (Hogan Development Survey and Leadership Versatility Index) to examine the relationship between charisma and effectiveness for several hundred business leaders. Of the results, these findings stand out:
Finding 1: Charisma can be measured
Study 1 provided a foundation for the research by demonstrating that the Hogan Development Survey provides a valid measurement of charisma.
Charisma seems mysterious and hard to define, but it can be measured scientifically and applied to research and to business practices such as executive coaching.
Charisma is measured through a mix of self-confidence, of being expressive, energetic and optimistic as well as being willing to explore and push limits and being visionary.
Finding 2: More charisma is not always better
Study 2 indicates that effective leaders are more likely to have moderate levels of charisma than to have a very high or very low amount.
This creates a curvilinear, inverted U relationship between charisma and leader effectiveness – see the graph below for a descriptive representation of the relationship.
In this study, the effectiveness of each leader was rated by bosses, direct reports, and peers based on performance at work.
Results were clear – co-workers agreed that too much charisma was a negative trait that lessened effectiveness. Essentially, too much charisma becomes a strength overused – and therefore becomes a disadvantage.
Finding 3: Charisma is related to other behavior
In addition to replicating the second study, Study 3 examined the influence of “adjustment” on charisma and also investigated how charisma relates to strategic and operational behavior (as measured by the Leadership Versatility Index).
One piece of good news is that leaders with high charisma can avoid the disadvantages if they were well-adjusted and tended to be calm and self-accepting.
Charismatic leaders who were also self-critical and tense would fall to the dark side of charisma and be more likely to cause damage.
Another key finding here is that more charismatic leaders were seen by coworkers as more strategic and as less operationally focused.
The charisma helped them set a compelling vision, but it seemed to interfere with getting the work done.
What does this mean for you?
Remember: More is not better.
As with many traits, too much charisma can be a bad thing. It becomes a strength overused which can be as harmful as a weakness. An overuse can lead to the dark side of charisma.
Use your knowledge of the dark side of charisma to accurately assess people in hiring, coaching and all interactions.
Remember: More is not better
Apply this to interviewing and coaching
Interview for substance – not charisma
Dig deep when interviewing. When evaluating a leader – as someone to work for or to hire – don’t get so blinded by superficial charisma that you don’t probe deeper into actual leadership behaviors.
Charisma alone does not make someone a good leader and too much can actually be a problem.
Use behavioral interview questions, so the interviewee can share specific accomplishments. Probe enough to evaluate that person’s individual contribution versus the accomplishment of a broader team. Ask for specifics and probe for technical knowledge and details.
A leader relying on charisma versus expertise will likely make broad statements with lots of jargon that does not have substance or deeper understanding.
Watch for flash versus competence.
Coach for strategy and operational expertise
If you are managing or coaching a charismatic leader, consider the connection between charisma and strategic thinking and operational excellence.
When charisma is high, strategic leadership is often high but operational skills might be lacking. This gives you some patterns to look for as you provide coaching.
Fit to the situation. Try to match people and their personalities and skills to the needs of the role and company.
Charisma is more critical for a sales person or a senior leader than it is for a data analyst. For some roles, it might not be a critical factor to consider at all.
Charisma can be a strength, but like many things, it has a dark side as well. Understanding charisma can help connect patterns of behavior, so you can understand when charisma is, or is not, an advantage.
Research Information
Vergauwe, J., Wille, B., Hofmans, J., Kaiser, R. and De Fruyt, F. (2018) The Double-Edged Sword of Leader Charisma: Understanding the Curvalinear Relationship Between Charismatic Personality and Leader Effectiveness, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114 (1), 110-130.
