In fact, yes, too much charisma in a leader can make a leader less effective. The results from a series of studies published in the summer of 2018 in the Journal of Personal and Social Psychology reveal that too much charisma in a leader is actually a negative trait.

The findings are based on three studies that included 800 business leaders in various managerial roles and 7,500 peers, superiors and subordinates, Charisma, up to a point, is considered an advantage. Highly-charismatic leaders were found to be less effective, and this finding was consistent among peers, superiors and subordinates.

As a leader in the leadership field, our co-founder and COO, Lain Hensley, was asked by the Economist Online to comment on these findings.

“The power of charisma is to know when and how to use it and with whom,” Lain told the publication.

Lain Hensley’s three tips for overly-charismatic leaders

To compensate for their overly-charismatic personalities, leaders should heed this advise to avoid the pitfalls of their personalities:

People will eventually think your upbeat and positive attitude is not authentic. So show the other sides of your personality and let others pick you up from time-to-time.

Charismatic people are often in the limelight and that light can quickly become a stage light. Move over and let others team members share in the successes.

Charisma is like a super power, and “with great power comes great responsibility.” Use your charisma and your influence wisely. Always make sure you’re looking out for the greater good of the organization.

For more leadership tips and pearls of wisdom from Lain Hensley, read the full article.

If you’d like to know more about the philanthropic team building programs at Odyssey Teams or for more leadership tips, feel free to reach out to us directly at learn@odysseyteams.com or 800 – 342-1650