BUSS5080 · Succeeding In The Accounting Profession
Leadership & Charisma
Week 2 of BUSS5080 reframes charisma as a learnable skill, not an inborn gift. In this unit charisma has a tight two-part definition — the ability to capture others' attention and their positive regard (Olivia Fox Cabane) — and it is delivered through the 10 Charismatic Leadership Tactics (7 verbal + 3 non-verbal), which training studies show can be taught. It rests on symbolic power, meaning it needs no formal authority, reward control or superior expertise, so even a graduate with no title can lead a room. The week also covers being seen as a leader through first impressions (Galinsky & Kilduff — warmth × competence) and using power effectively (Yukl — commitment > compliance > resistance), and the closed-book exam tests whether you can name each framework and apply it to a fresh scenario.
What this chapter covers
- 011. Charisma defined — capturing both attention AND positive regard (Fox Cabane); miss either half and it is not charisma
- 022. Charisma is learnable — Antonakis, Fenley & Liechti trained managers and their charisma ratings rose; improve by deliberate practice
- 033. Symbolic (charismatic) leadership — shared values built through emotion and framing, needing no formal authority, rewards or expertise
- 044. The 10 Charismatic Leadership Tactics — 7 verbal (metaphor, emotion, stories, moral conviction, 'we', high expectations, framing) + 3 non-verbal (passion, gestures, animated voice)
- 055. Charismatic framing (tactic 7) — contrasts + lists + rhetorical questions, itself a trio inside the ten
- 066. Being seen as a leader — first impressions form fast on warmth and competence (Galinsky & Kilduff); emergence is not the same as effectiveness
- 077. Using power effectively — Yukl's outcome ladder commitment > compliance > resistance; personal power and soft tactics beat raw positional power
- 088. Cross-cultural caveat — the tactics generalise across countries, but the specific metaphors, stories and emotions must be culturally appropriate
Ninety seconds to recruit volunteers
- +1Target BOTH halves of charisma. To be charismatic Leo must capture attention (a lively, engaged delivery — not a monotone) and positive regard (warmth — thank the team and acknowledge everyone is busy) at the same time. A pitch that only grabs attention by dominating the room would cost him positive regard.
- +2Apply CLT 7 — charismatic framing. Use a contrast ('we can keep firefighting the same errors every close, or fix the process once') plus a rhetorical question ('what would an extra clear afternoon each month be worth to you?') to focus attention and build anticipation.
- +1Apply CLT 6 — high expectations plus confidence. Set an ambitious but attainable goal and signal belief it can be met ('I'm confident a small group of us can cut rework by a third this quarter'), reinforced by an animated tone (CLT 10) and a short story of a peer team that did it (CLT 3).
- +2Manage the first impression and aim for commitment. Signal warmth and competence early (Galinsky & Kilduff) so he is seen as a leader worth following, and because he has no positional power, rely on personal power and soft tactics — inspirational appeal and consultation (Yukl) — to earn genuine commitment rather than reluctant compliance.
Key terms
- Charisma
- The ability to capture others' attention and their positive regard (Fox Cabane); in this unit it is treated as a learnable skill, not an innate trait.
- Symbolic power
- Influence based on emotions and on how beliefs and opinions are framed — it works without formal authority, control over rewards, or superior expertise.
- Charismatic leadership
- A style in which leaders and followers come to share values through the leader's use of symbolic power; open to anyone, including non-official leaders.
- Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLTs)
- The 10 trainable behaviours behind charisma — 7 verbal and 3 non-verbal — shown to raise charisma ratings when taught (Antonakis, Fenley & Liechti).
- Charismatic framing
- Tactic 7 — a trio of devices: contrasts (focus the message), lists (impression of completeness) and rhetorical questions (create anticipation).
- First-impression effect
- Early perceptions, formed fast on warmth and competence, disproportionately shape whether a person is granted leader status (Galinsky & Kilduff).
- Leader emergence vs effectiveness
- Emergence is being seen as a leader; effectiveness is actually delivering results — the two are distinct questions the exam keeps separate.
- Yukl's outcome ladder
- The three follower responses to influence, best to worst: commitment (internalised agreement) > compliance (the bare minimum) > resistance (push-back).
Leadership & Charisma FAQ
Is charisma something you are born with?
No — that is the week's central point. BUSS5080 treats charisma as a trainable skill: when managers were taught the 10 Charismatic Leadership Tactics, their employees rated them significantly higher on charisma, trust and influence. You improve it by deliberate practice — studying charismatic speakers, rehearsing aloud, reviewing video of yourself, and setting a monthly goal to sharpen one tactic.
Do I need formal authority to use charismatic leadership?
No. Charismatic leadership runs on symbolic power — influence through emotion and framing — which needs no title, no control over rewards or punishments, and no superior expertise. That is exactly why it is the first tool the unit gives graduates, who usually have little formal authority.
How many Charismatic Leadership Tactics are there, and how do they split?
There are 10: 7 verbal (metaphors/similes, stirring emotion, stories/anecdotes, moral conviction, sharing the collective 'we' sentiment, high expectations with confidence, and charismatic framing) and 3 non-verbal (conveying passion, body gestures and facial expression, and an animated tone of voice). Note that framing is itself a trio of contrasts, lists and rhetorical questions.
What is the difference between commitment and compliance in Yukl's model?
Commitment is enthusiastic, internalised agreement — the person owns the goal. Compliance is doing the minimum required without enthusiasm. Personal power (expert, referent) and soft tactics (rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation) earn commitment; leaning on raw positional power and pressure earns compliance at best, often resistance.
Do the tactics still work in another country?
Yes, the tactics generalise across many cultures, but the specific content inside them — the metaphors, stories and emotional appeals — must be culturally appropriate. In a scenario set abroad, keep the framework and adapt the examples; do not drop it.
Exam move
Treat Week 2 as a set of tight definitions and boundaries, because the closed-book multiple-choice exam lives on the discriminations here. Memorise the two-part charisma definition (attention plus positive regard) and always test an answer against both halves. Learn the count cold — 10 tactics = 7 verbal + 3 non-verbal — and remember that charismatic framing is itself contrasts plus lists plus rhetorical questions. Keep three pairs separate: charisma is learnable (not innate), symbolic power needs no authority (not rewards or expertise), and being seen as a leader (emergence) is not the same as being effective. Lock in Yukl's ladder — commitment > compliance > resistance — and which power sources produce each. Then practise applying, not just reciting: take any short workplace scenario, name one or two frameworks, and apply them in a sentence each, because the exam rewards named-and-applied over listed-but-unapplied. Finally, start using charismatic behaviour in class early — your classmates' peer-participation ratings are shaped by first impressions.
