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Archive for the ‘Impact of charisma on corporations’ Category

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Practical Ways to Build Corporate Charisma

February 21st 2012 by Nikki Owen | Barriers to resistance and growth, Big Apple Experiment, Charisma and Stress, Impact of charisma on corporations, Quantum Physics

1. Commit to running The Big Apple Experiment within your company. This provides you with a unique and memorable way to highlight the importance of your employee’s attitude. People are often stunned that they have affected the rate of decay of an apple and this then opens their mind to the importance of being positive. For more information about doing your own experiment visit The Big Apple Experiment on Facebook.

2. Recognise that your emotional state at the beginning of the day will affect everyone you come into contact with, even those people you speak to by phone. The best way to optimise your energy and emotional outlook is to take up meditation. Meditation, which is an ancient practice and part of Eastern spiritual philosophy, involves sitting, usually in silence, and focusing on one thing, such as your breathing. According to Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford, brain scans have proved that meditation breaks the loop of feelings that trigger self-defeating thoughts and depression. A positive self-image energises you and others. A negative self-image drains you and others.

3. Operate in the NOW and be really ‘present’ with people. According to Nancy Kline, author of The Thinking Organisation “the quality of our listening, determines how intelligently the person responds to you’. Charismatic people are able to connect deeply with others in just a few seconds and are genuinely interested in what the other person is saying. Imagine that everyone you meet has an interesting insight for you to learn. When you look at them really see them and focus your concentration on them.

4. Speak from your heart. The world of business has drummed into us that we need to assert ourselves, think logically and trust only the facts and the evidence presented to us. The ability to inspire and ignite interest requires high levels of energy. People who are in touch with their emotions generate a strong electro-magnetic force field around them that is unconsciously ‘felt’ by others. People who disassociate from their emotions also disconnect interest. When you listen to your Emotional Guidance System and speak from your heart you become authentic and real.

5. Generate balanced energy for communication flow. At the tiniest, subatomic level, in the Quantum Field we are all pulsating atoms of energy, constantly interacting with the energy fields of those around us. In 1997, Cranfield University produced a thought-provoking report proving the impact of energy on performance and contribution. People with low energy are tired, depressed, stressed, angry or ill. In contrast, people with high energy levels are positive, creative, confident, healthy and in-balance. People with high energy are more attractive than people with low energy. Energy is addictive. We naturally crave it to make us feel better and unconsciously seek to steal it from others in 4 main ways:

• Intimidation – people like to hold the balance of power because the hold the balance of energy.
• Interrogation – when people fire many questions it is a form of energetic attack that will drain the energy of the person they are speaking with.
• Aloof – when people disassociate they erect an invisible wall around themselves that stops the flow of their energy towards others.
• Poor Me – being a victim will often trigger the concern of others causing energy to flow one-way towards the victim.

Balance your conversation so that your energies flow between you and the other person. If you start to feel drained, take control of the conversation until your energy builds again.

6. Identify the influences within your own business that are likely to create resistance in your workforce. For example:

• Have you recently downsized, cut operating costs and/or out-sourced services?
• Have you introduced and implemented significant changes in the last 12 months?
• Have sales revenues dropped recently?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions then it is likely your employees are feeling scared and insecure. As a Charismatic Leader your role is to create a working environment where people feel safe. This reduces their resistance and enables them to optimise their performance.

7. Identify 3 issues you are experiencing within your business right now. For each one ask yourself the following questions:
• If this issue was a metaphor, what would it represent?
• How does this metaphor relate to me personally?
• What other areas or occasions in my life have I experienced this metaphor?
• What’s the emotional reaction this metaphor creates within me?
• What’s really the issue here?

Charismatic Leaders accept 100% responsibility for everything that happens in their life. Because we cannot consciously know reality (2 million bits of information every second) the only reality that is true to us is the one we create inside our own heads. If you change your inner reality this naturally changes your external reality. This way of looking at things can be summarised as Perception is Projection. What you perceive you will project onto others.

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Being in The Zone, Being in The Flow is Being Charismatic

February 10th 2012 by Nikki Owen | Barriers to resistance and growth, Impact of charisma on corporations

This week I delivered a half-day session on Charismatic Leadership to The Ella Foundation, established by Brian Chernett, created to inspire more leaders in the not for profit sector to be more effective and successful. Nearly 30 leaders from different registered charities participated in a way that was subtly different to leaders within the corporate sector. These men and women showed a real passionate intensity for their cause that was truly inspiring. Their minds were open and receptive to my techniques meaning that the exercises we did regarding energy were really advanced because their attitude to learning was untainted by cynicism.

Having met Craig Goldblatt, Motivational Speaker, this week, he refers to ‘the need to find our passions and relight our beliefs. That’s why leaders working in the not for profit sector are different. Their driving force and passion for their charity is evident and contagious. Without this, a person delivers a lacklustre performance and the contamination by apathy and negativity starts to spread.

When individuals possess high levels of positive attitude, their resistance to change and personal growth reduces. Equally, when an individual’s positive attitude reduces, this will expand and strengthen their protective wall of resistance towards growth and change.

Within an organisational context, especially in today’s tough economy, employees are being asked to deliver more with fewer resources. Layer this requirement with the threat of redundancy and immediately individuals feel their survival and security is threatened. An aura of fear invades their performance and employees will start to show signs of stress, lethargy and anger. It doesn’t matter what the organisation tries to do to remedy this because the usual corporate influences (new processes, culture, training & development, communication tools) will act like arrows bouncing off a brick wall. According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, “what we resist persists”. Fear will have a huge impact on an individual’s self esteem, hamstringing confidence and causing a reluctance to express what they are truly feeling. If an individual can’t see a future for himself or herself they cannot feel motivated.

Organisations know instinctively that workforce engagement is vital for growth and sustainable success and may recognise that they need to tackle attitudes rather than behaviours. That’s why there has been a growing trend for Emotional Intelligence training where individuals are taught the ability to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself, of others and of groups. Yet the challenge of wanting individuals to become more connected with their emotions is thwarted by the barriers they have erected to protect themselves whilst working in a climate of uncertainty and fear.

Rather than ‘pretend’ organisations can find huge value from recognising that an individual’s attitude can be impacted by working with their internal influences. When people have a positive sense of their self-worth, a clear sight of their future within the organisation they dissolve the barriers to emotional connectedness and inner motivation. This naturally boosts their energy, fuelling levels of positive attitude that naturally reduces resistance to change and growth. This process of internal awareness is the state of charisma, a state when an individual’s true essence can be expressed without fear and their performance and contribution to the organisation expands.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian Pschology Professor claimed “repression is not the way to virtue”. He introduced the concept of ‘Flow’ – a mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Sports psychologists refer to the concept of Flow as ‘being in The Zone’. Organisations refer to this as ‘engagement’. Having devoted over 30 years of my own life to this state, I refer to it as ‘Charisma’ – when an individual is being themselves and they are loving what they do, they shine.

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The Charismatic Performance Model™

February 1st 2012 by Nikki Owen | Charisma and Stress, Courage, Impact of charisma on corporations

Harnessing the power of energy

Over the centuries we have become addicted to growth through struggle. Pain is often perceived as a necessary stimulus to growth where individuals adopt the  Friedrich Nietzsche view “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Adversity is worn like a badge of honour because people often call on their inner resources to strengthen their resolve. Resilience is now viewed as an essential component for corporate success. Yet individuals are still resistant to change within a corporate context because they feel in touch with fear. According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs first introduced in 1943 our basic needs are for survival closely followed by safety and security.

Organisations going through change initiatives often unwittingly perpetuate a climate of fear and uncertainty. Where jobs may be at risk and more demands and pressures are being placed on performance and productivity this can create a choking effect on their performance. Professor Willi Railo, University of Oslow who worked closely with Sven-Goran Eriksson, Manager of England Football team in 2002 states that fear of failure is a crippling form of anxiety, a negative burden of expectation where people become inhibited, take fewer risks and consequently underachieve.

Consequently, in today’s tough economic environment where organisations and the workforce are being tasked to achieve more with less resources becomes unrealistic whilst the workforce feel in fear of the jobs and worried about the future. Despite competent and robust external influences such as the training and development of people, relationships, organisational culture, processes, leadership teams, job roles and responsibilities it is still difficult to penetrate through an individual’s resistance to growth.

Breaking through this barrier to change and resistance to growth can only be achieved by working with an individual’s own internal influences. To put it in a nutshell, the more positive an individual’s attitude, the thinner the layer of their resistance. A negative attitude automatically strengthens the resistance so it becomes an impenetrable wall of protection.

The biggest impact on attitude is based on 5 key areas that coincidentally are the same attributes that determine an individual’s level of charisma:

1. Self-Esteem – the extent to which we see ourselves as a valued, important and respected member of the workforce. The benefits to an organisation of having individuals with high self esteem is confidence, authenticity and mutual trust and respect.
2. Vision – the extent to which we see our future and can align that future to the corporate vision. The benefits to an organisation is that individuals feel inspired and compelled towards their organisational goals.
3. Sensory Awareness – the extent to which we can communicate with our hearts so we feel an emotional connection with the organisation. The benefits to an organisation is that individuals build stronger, loyal and long- term relationships with peers, internal and external customers.
4. Driving Force – the extent to which our work holds personal meaning so we feel enthusiastic and dynamic in pursuing our personal and corporate vision. The benefits to an organisation is that individuals feel highly motivated and possess greater resilience to setbacks.
5. Energy – the culmination of the first four internal influences will affect the intensity, quality and balance of an individual’s energy. The benefits of having a high energy workforce include high performance, improved productivity, higher engagement, reduced stress and absenteeism.

People with a high positive attitude are people with high levels of balanced energy. People with a negative attitude often feel drained, depressed and apathetic leading to illness.

In 1997 Cranfield Business School authored a white paper – Assessing Energy within Organisations that explored the role that energy of employees is recognised as an important factor in their performance and in maximising their overall contribution to the organisation. Yet 15 years later, organisations have failed to grasp and harness the concept of energy on powering their employees productivity.

Every individual has the potential to develop more charisma, a state that optimises their flow of energy, boosting their wellbeing and enhancing their performance. When people feel in harmony with themselves they exude high levels of energy that impacts on those around them.

Organisations who look at the workforce’s internal influences will be rewarded by high levels of engagement, people working with their heart and soul and double-digit growth that can be sustained year on year.

Yet the old rigid dogma in organisational thought leadership will continue to perceive energy, charisma and workforce harmony as spiritual mumbo jumbo until someone can present irrefutable proof that workforce attitudes can be changed in an instant.

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The Charismatic Organisation

January 25th 2012 by Nikki Owen | Famous charismatic icons, Impact of charisma on corporations, Quantum Physics

During my winter travels I’m often confronted with a variety of misconceptions about charisma; what it is and how does it transform the performance of an organisation.

People hold a stereotypical image in their mind that charismatic individuals are maverick extroverts with big personalities. This contradicts my own theory based on 30 years of research that charisma will only flow when the individual is being authentic and is working with a sense of personal purpose.

These misconceptions spread into an organisational context where leaders feel wary about possessing ‘more charisma’ because it is often perceived as a ‘La La’ skill that could place their business at greater levels of risk. Robert Maxwell, Fred Goodwin and Rupert Murdoch play out these stereotypes creating a negative attitude towards the whole concept of charisma and the value of charismatic leadership.

Yet organisations with challenging performance and productivity targets can find almost instantaneous benefits by developing the charismatic potential of their workforce. The quality of an engine fuel will directly impact on a vehicle’s performance. What we eat will affect our emotions, energy and health. In the same way, when an individual is operating from their authentic self and feels passionately about their work, they stimulate a flow of energy, thereby triggering the utilisation of their charismatic potential.

This unseen ‘power’ can be hugely beneficial to customer service representatives who find it easier to connect with their customers, even over the phone. One major pitfall of a customer service training programme is that individuals often pay lip service to what is required of them and can end up delivering a customer service process as automated robots, going through a script. Customers sense the difference between service delivered from the heart and superficial platitudes delivered from the head. Charisma ignites the customer service process so that customer interventions become unique and special creating a significant difference in customer attitudes towards that organisation.

Additionally, employees who are delivering service from their hearts are more engaged, more committed and more motivated than their ‘going through the motions’ peers. These charismatic individuals trigger a natural process of transmitting their positive energy so that the culture of a department can evolve organically from the mindset and charisma of just one or two individuals. In Quantum Physics this phenomenon is called entrainment – where particles and waves natural synchronise together.

In 2004, in conjunction with Vic Conant, President of Nightingale Conant we embarked upon the world’s biggest piece of sales research ever undertaken. 2663 organisations shared their views on barriers to sustainable sales success and the special ingredient that sets the top twenty percent of sales superstars apart from other sales people. Findings showed that charisma is the difference that makes a huge difference to successful sales people. Since that time I have been able to replicate charisma in any individual by working from the ‘inside out’ so the individual’s authenticity is upheld with integrity.

Early studies conducted since 2008 indicate that teaching people to activate more of their charismatic potential can benefit not just customer service and sales teams, it can benefit project managers, leaders, Heads of Departments and talent.
As many of today’s businesses are feeling ‘forced’ to make cutbacks, go back to basics and keep things operationally ‘tight’ it creates an unconscious chain of fear, pessimism and anxiety within customers who are craving their feel good fix. There is no such thing as ‘business as usual’ because the usual methods will leave organisations floundering under the weight of a tough global economy.

Charisma is a sustainable feel good fix that leads to high levels of productivity, high workforce engagement and customers who become raving fans of that organisation.

A few years ago Emotional Intelligence and Insights Personality Profiling were considered a soft and abstract ‘nice to have’ – today successful organisations have embraced the power of these tools, realising that workforce and customer engagement requires a ‘from the heart’ approach. One day in the short-term future, organisations will accept that this elusive thing we call ‘charisma’ is in reality an accelerated route to sustainable business success. As a pioneer of charisma within an organisational context I will continue to develop further case studies to prove conclusively that charisma directy impacts the bottom line.

Whilst the rain batters my office window with a relentless rhythm, I notice a flock of Canada Geese on the river prepare for their long journey homewards. Their V-shaped formation conserves energy and enables them to keep track of every bird in the group. Synergy and engagement combined with an instinctual sense of teamwork and common purpose. A perfect charismatic example to conclude this week’s blog!

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Charisma as the solution to Stress

January 19th 2012 by Nikki Owen | Charisma and Stress, Impact of charisma on corporations


Watching the news, reading the papers, managing a business, relationship issues, getting the kids to school, money worries and physical ailments can raise our stress levels alarmingly. We need this automatic response to survive a hostile environment yet elevated and prolonged stress can play havov with our emotions, our decisions and general well-being. As adrenaline and cortisone (the stress hormones) flood our body, our breathing becomes shallow, muscles tense up, the immune system is suppressed and the sleep process is blocked.

During my sessions for The Academy for Chief Executives, I often see overwhelming numbers of Leaders who complain of anxiety attacks, waking up at 3am full of dread about the future and unbridled rage that they feel out of control.
Interestingly, it is impossible to feel stressed when you are fully accessing your charismatic potential.

When you are being you and you are loving what you do you shine. Charisma is naturally released from our hearts when we feel confident in who we are. Charisma flows when our work has personal meaning so we naturally activate high levels of dynamism and passion. Charisma requires acute sensory awareness whereby you trust your emotional guidance system and listen to your instincts. Charismatic individuals exude high levels of energy and have a compelling vision that stirs their senses so they appear more ‘alive’ that other people.

Often when people are stressed they create a wall of protection, a mask they can retreat behind, aspects of their personality become exaggerated and extreme – the real authentic person disappears and we meet the shell or superficial layer of a person and it naturally unsettles us. Trying to keep up this facade is exhausting. Imagine trying to hold a beach ball under water for hours, let alone days and months – the process of suppressing drains energy and positivity.
Working with peoples’ charisma at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre has enabled me to study the impact of charisma on stress levels and I can confidently claim that it does.
One of my mentors in 2007 – 2009, Les Greve, Energy Therapist, devotes over 60% of his time providing energetic interventions to people suffering from emotional issues that ignite their stress levels. Being a big fan of Les’s work, I’ve asked him to turn up my own energy levels this weekend so that I can become a Reiki Master. As I’ve grown older I’ve noticed the key role energy plays in every aspect of our lives. There is a saying: “Energy flows where our focus goes” – if your focusing on worry, debt, recessions, aches and pains then this is the quickest way to drain your energy and invite in stress.

My top tips for dealing with stress so you release more of your natural charisma:


1. Visit an Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner who can unblock your energy and clear your negative emotions.
2. Take up meditation – even for just 5 minutes a day because it will create a chemical change in your frontal lobe and boost your immune system
3. Cut out coffee – it is absolute poison and feeds your stress so it will grow
4. Visit a chiropractor who can let you know how you are manifesting stress in your body (tense, nervous headaches? grinding teeth in your sleep?)
5. Get your chakras balanced – chakras are now a widely accepted term in the scientific community – they are the ‘gateways’ where energy enters and exits the body. If one of your chakras is blocked or sluggish this will place great strain on your overall body.
6. Take up a hobby or pastime that makes you laugh – visit a Comedy Store or take up Laughter Yoga! Laughter boost the immune system and releases serotonin into your bloodstream.
7. Learn HeartMath breathing to help transform everyday challenges into healthier, more resilient and productive energy.
8.Drink more water. Studies have shown that being just half a litre dehydrated will increase cortisol levels.
9. Walk in nature because a series of studies published in the Journal of Environment Psychology, June 2010 conclude that a 20 minute walk significantly boosts energy and vitality.
10. Adopt an attitude of acceptance – stress occurs only when you are trying to swim against the flow. An unpleasant circumstance met with the ‘right attitude’ can be a positive factor in your life. Through acceptance you stop wasing emotional energy and start finding creative ways to make the situation better.
Have a calm, centred and balanced week!

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Charisma – a mantle of responsibility

January 13th 2012 by Nikki Owen | Charisma Networking Events, Courage, Famous charismatic icons, Impact of charisma on corporations

During my seminars at The Globe, I’m often asked how I reconcile leaders who choose to exploit their charisma for malevolent purposes. When observing old film footage of Hitler, I could feel his intensity and see his effect on others created a strong physical reaction. A frightening combination of charisma and evil. Former boss of RBS, Fred Goodwin’s charisma was a major factor when persuading his board to support his strategic policies that ultimately played a major role in the biggest 2008 losses in corporate history. Charisma, combined with megalomania and greed is not a good combination for business success. These men clearly demonstrate that such is the power of charisma, there is a mantle of responsibility because this ‘charismatic power’ can be used for both good and evil intent.
Yet this need not deter an individual from wanting to develop their impact, presence and influence because my own studies prove conclusively that charisma equips the individual who possesses it with a significant advantage. Interestingly, people tend to stereotype charismatic individuals as having big personalities, being extrovert and maverick. Yet there are many examples of introverted and quieter charismatic people. For example, Mother Teresa, the late Princess of Wales and Richard Branson. I recognised that anyone holds the potential to be more charismatic – the secret is be yourself and do what you love doing.
On the subject of charismatic women, last night I attended the book launch of Jessica Richards, a personal transformation specialist and leadership mentor, who has published a moving account of how she beat cancer using a holistic approach. Jessica oozes authenticity and has shown such courage with the way she’s dealt with this frightening disease. When charismatic people such as Jessica, use their power for positive intent, it can inspire and transform the lives of thousands.
If you want to meet a bunch of charismatic individuals then pop into Pub du Vin’s Dome Room, Brighton on Monday 16th January at 5.30pm because I’ll be sharing my blueprint showing how everyone can optimise their charisma in a way that remains true and unique for them.
Have a great week!

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Increase in intake of Antidepressants

January 6th 2012 by Nikki Owen | Big Apple Experiment, Confidence, Impact of charisma on corporations

According to data from the NHS Information Centre, the use of antidepressants and sleeping pills has jumped 20% in just three years. Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of the health charity Mind, cited the tough economic times may have contributed to more people experiencing depression. This has enormous implications on the potential (or not) for profitability and growth during these tough trading times. It is now an accepted fact that the morale of a workforce can be correlated and linked to levels of stress and consequently absenteeism.
During adverse times the role of the leadership team will determine whether the business or organisation adopts a fighting spirit or whether employees sink into a quagmire of negativity and fear.
Studies show that leaders who demonstrate high levels of charisma are seven times more likely to create a motivated and engaged workforce when compared to leaders who are equally competent yet lack than presence and impact.
Many organisations experience the impact of a depressed workforce yet fail to realise that depression means a massive drop in overall energy and low energy immediately creates apathy, tiredness, stress and illness. I call this The Rotten Apple Syndrome because the moment you allow negativity to breed, even in just one person you’ll notice that it spreads like a contagious disease infecting everyone.
The good news is that organisations, businesses and individuals can adopt easy steps that instantly boost energy, morale, confidence and motivation. By changing workforce attitudes you will leverage the organisation’s potential for growth and success.
Happy New Year knowing that it is when we are experiencing the toughest moments in our life we are being handed a wonderful opportunity to grow and develop.

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Business Growth – Speaker Support

December 19th 2011 by Nikki Owen | Courage, Impact of charisma on corporations, Keynote Speaking, Politics

On 15th December at The Academy for Chief Executives Awards held at The Tower of London, Roger Harrop, CEO Expert and acclaimed international speaker on Business Growth, scoped the award for Best Speaker of The Year. Roger has over 25 years experience of leading international business at the highest level and has huge amounts of wisdom regarding obtaining business growth during contemporary challenging times. Already ranked in the top 10 of Management and Strategy Speakers worldwide, Roger still finds time to mentor and offer support to young speakers starting out on their journey.
I was also delighted to receive the award for Rising Star of The Year giving me even more passion to take my message internationally about the vital role charismatic leadership plays in attaining double-digit growth.
Another favourite speakers is Graham Jones, Internet Psychologist who specialises in the way people use the internet. His top tips ensure that any business can make more money online by ensuring that their internet marketing truly connects them with real people.
Although for many CEOs of small businesses, 2011 has been a challenging year, I am aware that there is a growing trend of leaders choosing to unleash their fighting spirit and put their courage to the test. As this year draws to a close a new level of creativity, entrepreneurial passion and smart strategic thinking is being demonstrated by businesses all around the UK. Has David Cameron’s tough stance with Europe set an example for businesses large and small across the UK?

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Off with their heads! Engagement is working with heart and soul.

December 12th 2011 by Nikki Owen | Big Apple Experiment, Impact of charisma on corporations, Keynote Speaking

Last Friday I delivered a day for team leaders at Saga Holidays on charisma, impact and influence. The subject of engagement cropped up and I heard a wonderful definition of what engagement really means “when employees are working with their heart and soul” I love it! Yet, can you really attain this by employing traditional methods of development that are often received by the workforce as more of the same old? To really change attitudes and sustain those changes, organisations need to adopt cutting-edge approaches that work at both the conscious and unconscious mind level. Yet many Heads of Learning & Development lack confidence about recommending something too different to their board. What’s the expression? You never get fired from choosing IBM! I’m often flabbergasted by companies who care more about the process than the result. Saga Holidays decided to try a completely different approach and in doing so have begun a growing evolution that is taking them from a good place to work to becoming an amazing and exhilarating place to work. To Saga Holidays, the result of the training intervention is more important than anything else.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the Academy for Chief Executives, Speakers Lunch and conference at The Tower of London on Thursday. Many of their speakers are so impressive and it feels such an honour to be part of such a wonderful occasion. Having delivered three sessions now for the Academy for Chief Executives, I am loving the opportunity of working with some exceptional leaders – collectively their wisdom and knowledge could power the Oxford Street Christmas lights for ten years!
Have a great week, and if you want something to keep the kids occupied this year, encourage them to participate in The Big Apple Experiment!

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Charisma – the latest corporate lever for double-digit growth By Nikki Owen, UK’s Leading Expert in Corporate Charisma at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

December 3rd 2011 by Nikki Owen | Charisma on TV, Famous charismatic icons, Impact of charisma on corporations, Politics, Quantum Physics

You can’t turn on the news at the moment without hearing more bad news about the struggling state of the economy, rising debt and the human costs associated with keeping small businesses afloat. Yet a quiet revolution amongst discerning businesses looking for growth rather than survival has shown that simply by developing their leadership team’s charismatic potential has an almost instantaneous impact on their bottom line.

Having dedicated the last three decades to investigating how charisma benefits organisations I was delighted to have my research findings reinforced and validated by Hewitts Associates. They also identified that those organisations achieving double-digit growth have extremely high levels of workforce engagement. The quickest and most cost effective way to build engagement is by increasing the charisma of leaders, executive boards, entrepreneurs and senior management.

Yet, this presented a challenge for two reasons. Firstly, the definition of charisma varied widely and secondly, great charismatic icons exhibited their charisma in a way that was unique to them. You can’t teach people charismatic behaviours without diluting their authenticity – an immediate block to the flow of their natural charisma. Remember Gordon Brown, during the historical, live election debates in May 2010? I was providing live commentary on the three leaders’ charisma for a global television network alongside the Professor of British Politics, Stephen Hassler. Gordon Brown looked uncomfortable trying to compete with his two younger opponents and had been ’schooled’ in using power postures and gestures. He failed to engage the voting public because he was not speaking from his heart. In contrast, Nick Clegg who despite being less polished, talked with a natural and spontaneous passion that got him the coveted role of Deputy PM!
You can develop charisma by working from the ‘inside’. In fact, everyone already possesses charisma within themselves, yet because of the walls of protection and masks put up and on over the years, we disconnect from our own source of power. This is why I call my corporate charisma seminar, An Audience with Charisma – because the ‘audience’ already has charisma, I simply need to help them reconnect with it. The minute this happens, people light up like a Christmas Tree!
My journey into the world of ‘inside out’ took me to Dr Bruce Lipton’s research in the field of Epigenetics that proves the impact of thoughts and feelings on the way genes are expressed. Metaphorically speaking, the charisma gene is inherent within us all yet not all of us activate it. In 2004, in conjunction with Vic Conant, President of Nightingale Conant we embarked upon a huge piece of research with 2664 organisations globally. One conclusion found that mindset was the crucial, linking component between high performing, charismatic individuals.
In 2008 I published my blueprint for developing charisma and launched my first charisma seminar at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Within just 2-days I transformed individuals’ level of impact, presence and gravitas that I measured with a range of assessment tools. (Check out your own level of charisma for free by visiting www.audiencewithcharisma.com/charisma-profile)
Last year I conducted a small study with 34 senior executives who rated themselves on 10 different attributes before and six weeks after attending An Audience with Charisma. The results were dramatic and have caused a plethora of questions from learning and development communities about how I can achieve such impressive and sustainable performance improvements. My response is often regarded as controversial, because I am using a blend of techniques that are literally at the frontiers of accelerated development. Noetic Science, Control Dramas, Quantum Physics, Reiki, Dowsing, Matrix Reimprinting are just some of the sources that have inspired my approach. Sometimes I’m asked if these techniques are just too way out for the corporate community to which I respond ” if I can deliver a sustainable change in the people I teach, does it matter how I do it.”

The model I use to develop charisma, encompasses five attributes that collectively I refer to as The Symbol for Star Quality. Charismatic people possess high levels of self-esteem and are comfortable in their own skin. They are genuine and authentic. Whilst they have the ability to adapt their behaviour, essentially they are always true to their real self. Charismatic people have a strong driving force because their work holds personal meaning. As a result they appear dynamic, enthusiastic and passionate. Charismatic people are emotionally intelligent. They listen to their intuition and communicate from their hearts as well as their heads. How can you engage people by logic alone? Charismatic people have a compelling vision that others feel a connection with. This creates a magnetic electro-magnetic force field that draws people to follow them. The fifth attribute is how charismatic people utilise their energy. At the smallest, quantum level we are all pulsating energy that ebbs and flows continuously. Interestingly, charismatic people can absorb and utilise the energy generated from others that allows them to exude even more energy. This energetic formula begins to explain the scientific rationale behind cult leadership.

Since my first Audience with Charisma at The Globe, I’ve helped hundreds of business professionals become more authentic, more charismatic and consequently more effective.

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