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The question of whether leaders are born or made is an old one. Recent research has provided a good answer: about one third consists of inborn qualities (e. g., temperament, personality), with two-thirds being "made" - developed over time through parenting, schooling, and experience.

But what about charismatic leaders? There is a strong belief that charisma is some innate quality or characteristic. You either have it or you don't. Truly charismatic leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and FDR seemed to possess some "magical" qualities. Likewise, everyday charismatic leaders seem to have some sort of gift (after all, charisma is defined as a "divine gift of grace"). But there is growing evidence that people can become more charismatic.

Research has determined some of the key elements of charisma. Some are related to style (and personality), and may represent the "born" part of charisma, while other elements are behaviors that are acquired, developed, and honed over time. Some recent dissertations sought to train people to be more charismatic, and there was some success in doing this. Of course, individuals in these training programs were not transformed overnight. Developing the qualities associated with charisma requires a lot of effort and energy, and some people are better at developing charisma than others.

However, charisma is not something magical or mysterious. It is deeply rooted in ability to communicate emotionally (related to the notion of " emotional intelligence") and relationship skills that allow charismatic individuals to make deep connections with others. Oratorical skills, being positive and optimistic, and being emotionally expressive are also part of the building blocks of charisma.

Years ago, I wrote about our research with charisma and our early efforts to train people to be more charismatic. We are continuing this research, but focusing more broadly on developing emotional and interpersonal skills and helping leaders to become more skilled communicators in general. Of course, as one becomes a more skilled communicator, he or she is more likely to be perceived as "charismatic" by others.

So, the answer to the question is this: Yes! Charismatic leaders are both born and made. No doubt there are "naturally" charismatic individuals, but leadership, like charisma, can be developed and trained.

Resources:
Avolio, Bruce J. (2005). Leadership Development in Balance: Made/Born. Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. Riggio, Ronald E. (1988). The Charisma Quotient: What It Is, How to Get It, How to Use It. Dodd Mead.
Test your personal charisma here

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The question of whether leaders are born or made is an old one. But what about charismatic leaders? There is a belief that you either have it or you don't. But there is evidence that people can become more charismatic.

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From the CDC report.

Five out of every six middle schools and high schools nationwide start classes earlier than 8:30 a.m., making it difficult for teens to get the sleep they need to be healthy, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that schools start later than 8:30 a.m. to help teens avoid becoming chronically sleep-deprived and exhausted. Adolescents need between 8.5 hours and 9.5 hours of sleep each night, but their natural sleep rhythms make it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m., according to the academy.

Research has shown that teens who get too little sleep are more likely to be overweight or depressed, and they are more likely to perform poorly in school and to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

The CDC, in its new report, calls insufficient sleep among the nation's teenagers a "substantial public health concern," and says that while parents can help by teaching their children good sleep hygiene (no cell phones in the bedroom, for example), it is important for schools to do their part by ensuring that class doesn't start too early.

"Getting enough sleep is important for students' health, safety, and academic performance," said Anne Wheaton, a CDC epidemiologist and the report's lead author. "Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need."

Researchers reviewed start-times for the 2011-2012 school year at a sample of the nation's nearly 40,000 middle schools and high schools. Their findings illuminate the fact that many young people begin their days very early. The average start time nationwide was 8:03 a.m., but there were wide variations across the country:

The state with the latest average start time was Alaska, at 8:33 a.m. The earliest was Louisiana at 7:40 a.m. (Louisiana also had the highest proportion of schools starting before 7:30 a.m., at 30 percent.)

No schools in Hawaii, Mississippi, and Wyoming started at 8:30 a.m. or later, while more than three-quarters of schools in Alaska and North Dakota started at 8:30 a.m. or later.

In 42 states, more than three-quarters of schools started before 8:30 a.m.

Two-thirds of teens say they get less than eight hours of sleep per night, according to the CDC's 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance.

Research on the importance of sleep has pushed parents in many communities to press for later school start times. But they often face resistance, not only because changing start times (and therefore school bus schedules) can create logistical difficulties and expense, but also because of concerns that starting later means less time in the afternoon for teens to work a part-time job or participate in extracurricular activities.

The CDC's new report establishes a baseline that will allow researchers to see how many schools change their start times following the 2014 recommendation for schools to start class after 8:30 a.m.

[Fairfax County high schools push back start times.]

Fairfax County, Va., one of the nation's largest school systems, decided to push its high-school start times back for this coming school year, delaying high school starts to between 8 a.m. and 8:10 a.m., in a near-unanimous school board vote. Board members cited health benefits to teens as a leading factor in the change, which had been debated for many years. In a compromise, Montgomery County, Md., the state's largest school district, pushed high school start times 20 minutes later - to 7:45 a.m. - after heated debate on the subject. Advocates had wanted later start times, pushing for first bells at 8:30 a.m., also citing the health benefits.

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CDC: Too many schools start class too early, a problem for student health

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Five out of every six middle schools and high schools nationwide start classes earlier than 8:30 a.m., making it difficult for teens to get the sleep they need to be healthy, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Thank you! Relational and Charismatic Leadership What is Charismatic Leadership? According to Galvin, Balkundi, & Waldman (2010), "Charismatic leadership is a term often used to characterize extraordinary forms of influence, and it is frequently associated with leaders who are

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Achieving "Greatness" as a Leader

What makes leaders great? Is it their courage? Their business acumen? Their expert knowledge? Their ability to organize?

Truly great leaders have a specific blend of skills. But they also possess something else; certain characteristics which are harder to define.

If you're in a leadership role, then you've likely wondered how you can move to that "next level," going from good to great leadership.

In this article, we'll examine "Level 5 Leadership" - a key idea that helps you do this. We'll explore what it takes to achieve greatness as a leader, and we'll discuss strategies that you can use to move up to this top level of leadership.

Introducing Level 5 Leadership

The concept of Level 5 Leadership was created by business consultant, Jim Collins. He wrote about it in a well-respected 2001 Harvard Business Review article, and published his research in his popular book, " Good to Great."

The concept came about during a study that began in 1996, when Collins began researching what makes a great company. He started by looking at 1,435 companies, and ended up choosing 11 truly great ones. These 11 companies were all headed by what Collins called "Level 5 Leaders."

He found that these leaders have humility, and they don't seek success for their own glory; rather, success is necessary so that the team and organization can thrive. They share credit for success, and they're the first to accept blame for mistakes. Collins also says that they're often shy, but fearless when it comes to making decisions, especially ones that most other people consider risky.

Level 5 Leaders also possess qualities found in four other levels of leadership that Collins identified. Although you don't have to pass sequentially through each individual level before you become a Level 5 Leader, you must have the skills and capabilities found in each level of the hierarchy.

Let's look at each of the five levels in more detail:

Level 1: Highly Capable Individual

At this level, you make high quality contributions with your work. You possess useful levels of knowledge; and you have the talent and skills needed to do a good job.

Level 2: Contributing Team Member

At Level 2, you use your knowledge and skills to help your team succeed. You work effectively, productively and successfully with other people in your group.

Level 3: Competent Manager

Here, you're able to organize a group effectively to achieve specific goals and objectives.

Level 4: Effective Leader

Level 4 is the category that most top leaders fall into. Here, you're able to galvanize a department or organization to meet performance objectives and achieve a vision.

Level 5: Great Leader

At Level 5, you have all of the abilities needed for the other four levels, plus you have the unique blend of humility and will that's required for true greatness.

How to Become a Level 5 Leader

It takes time and effort to become a Level 5 Leader. But the good news is that it can be done, especially if you have the passion to try.

Again, it's important to realize that you don't have to progress through each level in turn in order to get to Level 5. But you do need the capabilities found in each level in order to achieve Level 5 status.

Here are some strategies that will help you grow emotionally and professionally, so that you can develop the qualities of a Level 5 Leader:

Develop Humility

Conversely, as a leader, you need to take responsibility for your team's efforts, even when things go wrong.

Tip:

The 2007-2008 financial crisis showed many examples of how arrogant, self-glorifying, self-obsessed leaders led their organizations to ruin. Much of this chaos could have been averted if appointment committees had recruited Level 5 Leaders. Humility matters, including when it comes to recruitment.

Ask for Help

Level 5 Leaders are sometimes mistakenly thought of as "weak," because they ask for help when they need it.

Remember the Guy Kawasaki quote that "A players recruit A+ players, while B players recruit C players." If you're recruiting A+ players, why wouldn't you take full advantage of their skills? (The truth is that if you can recruit A+ people successfully and get the best from them, then you've become an A+ manager.)

Take Responsibility

So make sure that you take responsibility for your (and your team's) actions. Our Book Insight " No Excuses! The Power of Self Discipline" has more on this.

Develop Discipline

If you know in your heart that you're right, then don't let naysayers dissuade you from a course of action. It's always important to listen to differing opinions, of course, but don't let fear be your driving motivator when you make, or change, a decision.

Find the Right People

Lead With Passion

Level 5 Leaders are passionate about what they do, and they're not afraid to show it.

When you demonstrate to your team members that you love and believe in what you're doing, they will too. If you're having a hard time finding passion in your work, then you need to search for the human benefit in what you're doing.

See our article on Working with Purpose to explore how to find meaning in what you're doing. It's also important to create an inspiring vision for your people - our article on Transformational Leadership shows you how to do this.

Tip:

Use common sense in the way that you apply this idea.

In some environments - that is, in high-trust, properly-managed workplaces - Level 5 Leadership is something to aspire to, demonstrate and apply.

In low-trust or dysfunctional environments, however, you may need to use Level 5 Leadership more cautiously. Definitely apply the approach, but make sure that you're alert to the "corporate politics" going on around you.

Key Points

Level 5 Leadership is a concept developed by Jim Collins. After several years of research, Collins discovered that all of the great organizations that he studied were headed by what he called "Level 5 Leaders."

These Leaders have a unique combination of fierce resolve and humility. They were the first to own up to mistakes, and the last to take credit for success.

You can work on developing the following skills and characteristics to become a Level 5 Leader:

Develop humility.

Ask for help.

Take responsibility.

Develop discipline.

Find the right people.

Lead with passion.

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Level 5 LeadershipAchieving "Greatness" as a Leader

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Achieving "Greatness" as a Leader What makes leaders great? Is it their courage? Their business acumen? Their expert knowledge? Their ability to organize? Truly great leaders have a specific blend of skills. But they also possess something else; certain characteristics which are harder to define.

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The Global Emotional Intelligence Test uses 40 questions which are derived from, the Global instrument, which contains 158 items. These are based on Goleman's four quadrant Emotional Intelligence Competency Model (2002). Click EI Capability Assessment here for more details. Short EI quizzes such as this are meant to be fun, and to give you a guide to which EI areas you are doing well in and those which perhaps you need to focus on for development.

This Test, is a forced-choice psychological test which requires you to choose Instructions for the FREE EI Test one statement in each pair of statements that describes you best. For each pair of statements, select the statement that best applies to you. Do not over-analyse the questions, or try to think of "exceptions to the rule." Be spontaneous and choose the statement that comes closest to the way you are.

Occasionally there will be questions that ask you to make a close call between two choices. This is because the Test is trying to distinguish between specific areas. If a question is very close and you can't decide which statement applies to you best, you can come back to it after you have completed the other questions.

The Test usually takes about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, click on the Score Test button, and wait for the computer to generate an EI profile of your scores. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your scores will reflect your capability level within each of the EI quadrants.

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results of this Test - only that it can help you begin your journey of self-development!

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Emotional Intelligence Test - Global Leadership Foundation

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Free emotional intelligence test developed by Global Leadership Foundation