Charisma refers to the compelling attractiveness a person may have. This attractiveness has the ability to inspire devotion in other people or motivate them to carry out certain activities. Charisma is especially important in the workplace as it inspires fellow workmates or employees. The key ingredients of charisma include the ability to talk, listen, persuade, and adapt to various situations in the workplace and in other situations. These skills are vital and need to be learned to create an effective human resource. The understanding of charisma and its constant application can offer a way to success. This is what Alessandra tries to explore in his book.
“Charisma: Seven Keys to Developing the Magnetism that Leads to Success,” is a book written by Tony Alessandra. The book was published in the year 1998 by Warner Books which is based in New York. The book is made up of two hundred and seventy pages and is further broken down into several chapters. The book offers a step by step of the basics in charisma and is thus an educational non-fiction book. The aim is to help people understand charisma, such as putting people at ease, exciting, and inspiring others. This paper seeks to provide information about the author and his qualifications to write the book, a report on the book, including the content, analysis, and evaluation of the text.
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About the Author
Tony Alessandra is an American-born author and motivational speaker. He is one of the best-selling authors having published books that have been sold in large numbers. He has written 27 books to date, and his works have been featured in various media outlets. Alessandra has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame. He completed the degree in 1969 and took a master in the same course which he finished in 1970 from the University of Connecticut. He then proceeded to do a Ph.D. in Business Administration majoring in Marketing at the Georgia State University and completed in 1976.
Alessandra is the owner of Assessment Business Centre. The company has various clients ranging from groups to big companies on the Fortune 500 list such as Apple Computers and much more. He is a Certified Speaking Professional, and his skills are sorted all over the world. His past experiences and qualifications place him in a good position to write the book on charisma. In it, he shares his vast experience on how charisma can be obtained and practice for the benefit of the organization. He draws from his vast knowledge of motivation and workplace engagements to churn the book. The main concepts and contents of the books are discussed below.
Book Contents
Alessandra provides a step by step program for basics in charisma as stated earlier in the book. Some of the things Alessandra discusses in the book are how to adapt to others, how to develop skills of dynamic listening, projecting a powerful image about oneself, elimination of unnecessary distractions. He goes further to discuss how to motivate others by pushing the right buttons, taking charge of time, the creation of a vision for one’s ideas and products, overcoming the fear of rejection and failure, mastering public speaking, communication of ideas to others, and the development of relationships that would assist one in their career. According to Alessandra, mastering of the above skills would enable one to unleash the power of charisma that is in each one of us (Alessandra, 1998).
Alessandra makes use of stories to help the reader understand the text better. In one of the stories that were very interesting, he tells the story of a teacher in Kindergarten that asked one of her students what she was drawing. The story was originally told by Sheila Bethel in Making a Difference, but Alessandra uses it to an equally good effect. The story goes that when the teacher asked, the child replied she was drawing God. The teacher then answered the student by saying no one knew how God looked like. The Student then answered that people would know how He looked like in a minute. This story is used to describe the characteristics of charisma. In his book, Alessandra points out that charismatic people pose characteristics similar to those displayed by the child in terms of faith and ability to create things. They have this faith in their vision and abilities and are able to materialize their visions. He also says people follow leaders with an inspiring vision that make life more meaningful. This also applies to clients who follow lawyers with inspiring visions.
In the book, “charisma” in Alessandra’s views is the ability to inspire others positively by linking-up with them intellectually, physically and emotionally (Alessandra, 1998). This definition is taken into consideration in his breakdown of the processes of understanding and using charisma into seven main components. The seven components of showing charisma that he explores are the silent message one passes across, the ability to speak well, ability to listen keenly to others opinions and questions, possessing the talent of persuasion, one's use of space and time, possessing the innate ability to adapt easily to other and situations, and lastly having a good vision and ideas.
The author also makes use of questions that the reader needs to ask themselves and both fictional and nonfictional examples of charisma in action. He explains charisma as simply as what makes people like somebody even without knowing them or even having interacted with them. It is a special power that the very successful people possess that make them likable have influence and possess the power of persuasion. Alessandra notes that one does not have to be born with this power. He states that it is something that can be learned first and will offer a big edge over the other. Understanding of charisma is important to all professions. Whether a CEO or a secretary, an entrepreneur or an engineer, a store owner or a teacher, the book by Alessandra provides the most effective ways to master the skill and start exercising the power.
Making of powerful and positive first impressions is one of the seven of cultivating the “magnetism that leads to success”. According to Alessandra, the main way to achieve this is through the creation of a good personal image. He describes that it takes a very short time for people to make up their minds on one's impressions. It is also very hard to change this believes once people have them. In the book, Alessandra warns people to be very careful when making a first-time impression. One should at all times pay attention to how you present yourself. Looks and actions should be in line with what one is aiming to accomplish (Alessandra, 1998). The chances of success increase exponentially once a good image has been made. This is because people are more prone to cooperate with charismatic people.
The second key is mastering the art of public speaking. Alessandra emphasizes on why the mastery of public speaking is an important indication of charisma in an individual. Someone that is able to communicate effectively to in public possesses the power of persuasion which is a characteristic of charismatic people. He states that to develop the skill, one has to undertake a number of steps, including learning from good public speakers, practicing constantly, and having the chance to apply the skill. However, in order for one to be a good communicator, they have to be good in both speaking and listening. A combination of the two makes one appear more acceptable and more prone to be heard by people.
As stated above, listening is the other key characteristics of success using charisma. In the book, Alessandra provides the reader with six skills that are essential in being a dynamic listener. Charismatic people are good listeners. They understand that communication goes beyond speaking and encompasses listening to others. People associate better with people that offer a good listening ear. The ability to be good at listening is explored in detail in the book a formula for mastering the art provided.
The third key that Alessandra covers is the characteristic of being persuasive. He offers four simple steps that can be applied by anyone to jump-start their persuasiveness. He states that people with a personal magnetism possess the ability to attract others to them and conform to their way of thinking (Alessandra, 1998). The ability to get people to follow an individual is important in charisma since even the greatest ideas need support and adoption by other people to truly succeed. Persuasive people display enthusiasm in their discussions and actions. They show that they can be trusted and possess the necessary information to partake what they are suggesting. They always have answers or a plan on how to find an answer to problems. This characteristic attracts people like a magnet.
Alessandra’s fifth key component of charisma is a harnessing of time and space which are vital resources for success. Charismatic people do not waste time by either being late or overly verbose (Alessandro, 1998). The author states that these people know how to manage time and use most of it to perform the most important things. They are able to see things that can lead to wastage of time and avoid them. One such thing is speaking more words than is necessary; charismatic people are always short and to the point offering only the most relevant information. They also respect the personal and other people’s spaces. They respect other’s spaces by not crowding it or making people uncomfortable, such as inappropriately touching others.
The next component that Alessandra covers is the ability to motivate others through recognition and adapting to the four main personalities. Alessandra refers to being adaptable as the platinum rule. It is the ability to treat other people how they would want to get treated. This is without regard for how one feels about the treatment they are offering. Charismatic people are thus able to embrace diversity, including cultural and personal. These people are able to move with change and adapt to make others comfortable. They embrace change and aim to engage others to accept it too. The ability to be adaptive motivates others, thus contributing to the success.
The last key Alessandra discusses the creation and communication of one’s visions, products, and ideas. The author states that charismatic people have a precise plan and are able to describe their vision. They are enthusiastic about the vision, and this can be seen in their communication with others. They are able to project their plans and beliefs on others in a way that make others agree with them. Whatever the objective, you cannot frequently influence anyone to change their ideas and adopt yours unless you also personally feel strongly about it (Alessandra, 1998).
Book Analysis and Evaluation
The book offers essential lessons in having more influence on others, through the use of charisma. This is helpful to anyone that feels they are not succeeding due to the lack of charisma. The Authors use of simple examples and self-diagnosis questions offers the reader with a good explanation on how they can do to master the power of charisma. Several definitions of charisma are provided throughout the book. This is effective at helping the reader understand the text better. The book is easy to read since it has been divided into chapters, each elaborating on the keys that help in the development of the magnetism. It is also engaging and uses simple language that is easy to understand and follow.
While reading the book, one will find out they are good in some parts and not so good at others. They can, therefore, focus on their weaker points. The author provides effective and simple suggestions on how individuals can deal with their weak points. Alessandra sums up the content of the book in a single sentence which is; one should do to others what they would like to be done to them (Alessandra, 1998). Despite an effort to provide all the information on charisma, the book feels overly summarized due to the great importance of the seven elements of building charisma. The strengths of the book, however, outweigh the weaknesses. Overall, it is a highly recommendable book.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the book offers the reader with essential information on charisma. It is organized around seven main ideas as discussed above that can help one understand and apply charisma to achieve success. It is a good read for anyone aiming at personal improvement and improvement of personal relationship with another. Application of the contents of the book can create a great impact on one's career by positioning them to succeed.
Reference
Alessandra, T. (1998). Charisma: Seven Keys to Developing the Magnetism that Leads to Success . New York 10020: Warner Books.
