The most important superpower of a hero - "Charisma" - innate or learnable?

"When I step onto the stage, I am a completely different person. On stage, I am a charismatic pop star. Offstage, I find it difficult to utter a sensible word. I don't know how to talk to others. And that's how it has been for as long as I can remember, apart from my childhood. When I was 'Robbie-with-many-friends.'" -Robin Williams Yes, there are heroes of our time. They are the great role models we look up to. We enjoy listening to them. We learn from them. Sometimes they are great athletes like Matthias Steiner, Billie Jean King, or Michael Jordan who fascinate us. They are great statesmen like John F. Kennedy, Helmut Schmidt, or Winston Churchill who have captivated us. But sometimes they are also the heroes around us, like our parents or a good colleague, whom we can proudly admire. But what connects these individuals and why do they have such an impact and charisma on us? Do they perhaps have that certain something? Exactly! It is the charisma they exude that enables them to captivate others. However, possessing charisma does not necessarily mean being popular. "Popularity is the opposite of charisma. If you apply this to a boss, then the boss who is the most popular is probably not the one who motivates his people the most. The charismatic boss, on the other hand, is a personality who is most respected and whom employees and colleagues often hold in great awe. This is also evident in the fact that employees are very proud of the achievements they have made for this boss. As a result, they become highly motivated." - Michael Pfau, Psychology Professor at the University of San Diego And one thing you should know. Whether we are charismatic or not, that can only be judged by other people, not by ourselves. And can we not work on our impact on others and thereby learn charisma? Yes, we can. 1. Become Competent in Your Field Can we always be charismatic? Of course, we cannot always be charismatic. As Robin Williams mentioned above, our charismatic appearance strongly depends on the subject matter. I cannot convince anyone if I lack personal competence. This applies to presentations, meetings, employee discussions, but also conversations with friends. This means that you should work on your subject matter competence. But BEWARE! - The quotes "The specialist kills customers" and "The know-it-all is unbearable" still have their effect here. Therefore, it is important to work on your rhetoric. Improve your rhetoric. Attend rhetoric seminars, film yourself during your exercises, get feedback on your impact, set goals for your presentation, study great speakers, and never stop wanting to improve. And this plan also applies to other areas you can work on: 2. Develop Empathy This involves the skills of empathy, interest, and compassion. Ask your friends or colleagues how you come across in these areas. Charismatic people find the right balance between perceiving their own needs and showing empathy towards the lives of other people. They do not put themselves first and do not need a cutthroat mentality as the only effective means for success. 3. Learn Realistic Positive Thinking Charismatic people think in possibilities, not in problems. You will never find a charismatic speaker or boss who complains all the time and tells you what doesn't work. Of course, I am not talking about "making everything sound nice." No, the negative situation must be recognized as such. The only question is how you deal with it. Complain or take action? That is the question here. 4. Maintain Your Focus From time to time, look at your life from a bird's eye view. Imagine your focus as the lens of a camera that observes everything that happens sharply, clearly, and honestly. Draw yourself and all people and influences. Which ones are good for you and which are not? What do you want to change? Also, write down what people should say about you at the end of your life. Then compare and plan what you need to do to become that person! 5. Stay Curious One of the most powerful tips to develop charisma: Stay curious and be creative! Yes, you are allowed to be different. No, you should even be different. We have never had so much knowledge available to us. We have never been able to communicate with other people so easily. And what do we do? Consume catastrophic news or watch reality TV. Hardly anything is as attractive and appealing as genuine curiosity. We all know people who only talk about themselves. I don't know about you, but I don't find such people particularly likable or charismatic. We all probably appreciate people with a genuine interest in us and our lives. Anyone can revolve around themselves. But how charismatic and powerful is curiosity in the form of genuine interest? Conclusion If charisma is understood as a rehearsed performance, it appears artificial. Authentic charisma arises without one's own effort. You cannot work on these tasks like a to-do list and then become more charismatic. You must want to do these tasks because you enjoy them, and then it must become an inner attitude, and - the more genuine and courageous we behave, the more charismatic we automatically appear.