Charisma can largely be learned, because it consists of many individual messages: How you enter a room and what you say to whom. If you know these signals and send them consistently, you gain aura and, over time, standing.
Some leaders walk into a room and every eye turns to them. If they then say a few appreciative words in a calm voice, they’ve won the room. There’s a saying that you either have it or you don’t. That hardly applies to standing, because standing can be built.
The term describes the effect of a person that makes others give them attention and trust. The sociologist Max Weber introduced the term into sociology in “Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft” (1922, published posthumously; in English “Economy and Society”). He describes charismatic authority as authority based on the devotion of followers to a person.
One detail in Weber’s view matters: It’s attributed to a person. It arises in the eye of the beholder and disappears when people withdraw their trust. That puts it closer to standing than the word “aura” suggests.
Partly, yes. In 2011, the organisational researcher John Antonakis of the University of Lausanne and colleagues studied whether this effect can be trained. Leaders who deliberately practised rhetorical techniques, such as vivid stories and clear contrasts, were then rated by observers as more charismatic.
The training focused mainly on communication. Daily leadership adds something that’s harder to practise: Aura only works if there’s something behind it. Only when words and actions match does the effect become credible.
In a first impression, energy and consistency count. People notice very quickly whether your tone matches your words and whether your gaze is meant for the person you’re speaking to. A short greeting that uses someone’s name often sticks longer than a lengthy introduction.
Make courtesy and goodwill your leadership style, because you feel comfortable with them and that shows. The feeling others take away: This person knows what they want and reaches their goals.
A convincing aura conveys composure and cheerful calm. Optimism and a healthy dose of humour are part of it. Anger and haste rarely are.
From the long list I go through with clients, six signals have proved especially effective.
Listening without judgement. Take in the other person before you evaluate. People who feel heard are quick to attribute charisma to the listener. A genuine follow-up question shows more interest than quick advice.
Patience. Let pauses stand. Calm in a hectic meeting stands out more than any contribution, and if you don’t fill every silence, you seem more confident.
Trust in yourself and your own emotions. Feelings you allow and make sense of make you approachable. Suppressed emotions usually seep through anyway.
Compassion. Show you care, especially in difficult conversations. Teams often remember that longer than a brilliant speech.
Focus in decisions. Name what’s at stake, then decide. Others perceive this clarity as strength.
Knowing people. Learn to tell what’s real from what’s for show. If you read people well, you find the right tone for each of them. That takes years and stays prone to error.
Standing is individual. It starts with becoming aware of what you radiate and how you come across as a leader. From that, you design your personal tailor-made suit, one that fits your identity.
Copied gestures quickly look borrowed. A quiet person who suddenly acts loud tends to lose credibility. Quiet leaders have their own tools: Precise questions and a good memory for what others have said. Cultivate those tools deliberately, and you’ll have an effect in your own way.
I’m convinced that standing can be built step by step. The leaders with the greatest impact I know are above all reliable. When things get tight, they stay calm and keep listening.
What makes me sceptical is charisma without substance. Teams follow inspiring bosses in the wrong direction too, and dissent grows quieter around them. The more aura someone has, the more they need people who’ll honestly contradict them.
And I admit it: Part of the effect remains hard to explain. Some people draw every eye, and I couldn’t say exactly why. For leadership I consider that less important than it seems, because standing lasts longer than a first impression.
Temperament and voice shape the effect from the start. At the same time, a large part consists of behaviour you can practise, from eye contact to the structure of a speech.
Yes, when it silences criticism. If you have a lot of aura, you should actively invite dissent and explain your decisions.
Many signals shrink on screen, while eye contact and voice gain weight. Look into the camera when you speak, and leave a deliberate pause after a question so others can come in.
Individual signals like pauses or eye contact change after a few weeks of practice. Standing grows more slowly, over months and years, because it comes from other people’s repeated experiences with you.
Further reading on hofmann.coach: 16 tips for leaders to use the power of language · Leadership lives in the minds of those you lead · Self-confidence: The most powerful weapon of a leader · Executive presence: How to build standing and impact · Leadership visibility: How to make your success recognisable
Note: This article was first published on 19.12.2018 and was revised and expanded in October 2026.
Cristian Hofmann is an executive coach in Zurich and Schaffhausen (MAS Coaching & Supervision BSO, Forbes contributor). Over more than 20 years he has coached more than 1,500 leaders: CEOs, executive boards and leadership teams in Switzerland, with measurably agreed goals and, on request, pay-for-results. More about Cristian Hofmann.
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