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The Prince Charming Effect™

Written by: Nikki Owen

Article Overview: External measurements of Charisma can sometimes be interpreted as charm - although this alone does not create a Charismatic presence, which requires a strong sense of the person’s character, the essence of the inner person. All the charm in the world cannot compete with an individual who speaks from their heart in a way that is genuine and reflects their deepest beliefs.

The Prince Charming Effect™

Hitler and Amin demonstrate that when an individual’s character is strong yet flawed, they have the potential to inflict untold harm on others. Similarly, if an individual’s character is weak then their charm will appear fake or false. We recognise this particularly in politicians. During the War on Iraq, George Bush Junior tried to emulate the religious voice tone and approach used so successfully by Martin Luther King, yet millions of people perceived him as false and extremely patronising because they ‘sensed’ he wasn’t talking from his heart.

The role of a Spin Doctor is to present a positive spin on a situation, often by neglecting to reveal the negative, less attractive features of that given situation. However, at some level people instinctively ‘know’ or sense that something is not right or being held back.

It was then that it became crystal clear. Everything I had ever read about Charisma was paying too much attention to external factors - body language, voice tone, words and appearance. Charismatic people stand out. They stand out not simply because of these external factors but because they command our attention. They command our attention because we somehow sense their character, authenticity, power and presence.

Charisma Equation

Whilst these four giants of the Charisma genre could indeed be charming, their strong characters shone through, often putting their external charm into the shade. A Charismatic person requires the ability to charm combined with strength of character.

Strong Charm (outside) + Strong Character (inside) = Charismatic

If an individual lacks authenticity, if they don’t mean what they say, they will dilute the strength of their character and consequently the strength of their Charisma. Some individuals compensate for their lack of congruency by over developing their external charm factors. When meeting these types of individuals we may not consciously recognise that this person’s charm and character doesn’t match, yet we instinctively feel unsure. Sharon Osbourne, one of the former Judges on the show, The X-Factor has bags of charm, yet in an effort to give positive feedback to the auditionees, she sometimes appeared less than sincere. Contrast her diminished Charismatic presence to the leading judge of the same show, Simon Cowell. His direct, truthful and on occasions, hurtful remarks reflected his genuine thoughts. This level of sincerity automatically enhanced his Charismatic presence.

Hitler and Amin could ‘do charming’ and possessed very strong powerful characters. Therefore, Charisma is not an exclusive club only available to persons of ‘good’ character. Conversely, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi are universally regarded, as really good people with strong compassionate characters are not generally recognised as icons of Charisma.

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Article Tags: amin, appearance, attractive features, authenticity, body language, charisma, charismatic person, congruency, external factors, george bush, george bush junior, giants, hitler, martin luther king, match, politicians, spin doctor, strength of character, voice tone, war on iraq



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Workplace Warrior: Insights and advice for winning on the co - Workplace Warrior: Insights and advice for winning on the corporate battlefield Kay Hammer 2000 From the inside jacket: Successful people don't get to the top without struggles. But few are willing to expose the failures and setbacks that have lined their paths through the battle zones of business. Kay Hammer is that rare breed. With startling candor and penetrating intelligence, this "very modern, very American heroine (Forbes) gives a frank and full recounting of her mid-career reinvention, from a linguistics professor alone to the President, CEO, and co-founder of Evolutionary Technologies International... Hammer's new life began with an epiphany - that nothing substantive in her life would change unless she made it happen. There would be no Prince Charming. From that moment on, she began a long, ardous journey to carve for herself in the youthful, male-dominated software industry-a journey which she likens to serving the apprenticeship of a medieval warrior... Her strategies are geared for battles on all fronts: not only for disarming foes, gaining allies, and winning battles in the boardroom, but also for confronting the internal enemies of self-doubt, fear of failure, and unresolved anger.
Re: Social Media Marketing - Corporate Vs. Small Business - Hi Jeff, A technique that I consider to be "Social Media Marketing" would be when a brand creates a profile on Facebook and then begins adding people they found in related groups as "friends". For instance, Prince Tennis requested to become friends with me because they saw that I had joined a Facebook group supporting their products. By adding me and other consumers as friends on their Facebook profile, Prince Tennis is able to market directly to its target audience. I've also seen record labels do the same for their music artists.
Isadore Sharp - I was just reading an article on "Issy" Sharp and I would like to see a profile on him. He is the man behind the Four Season hotel and resorts and he is Canadian. He is also behind the Terry Fox Run. He is pursuing an offer to sell the hotel chain to Bill Gates and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal for US$3.7-billion. Talk about an exit strategy!
Re: Sports is queen! - And as an aside... there are certain teams that really need to work on their sartorial sense... namely the Brewers an the Dodgers. They're wearing baggy pants that look like jodpurs - miles of material around the thighs, slightly less material around the shins... I watched Prince FIelder at first for the Brewers... he looks like an unmade bed standing out there (he's a biiiiig guy) and most of his teammates looked just as foolish...
Re: Brand marketing or spam? - Hi Louis, My only problem with this brand "connection" is that it seems very one-sided. For example, I tried messaging Prince Tennis a question about their product line, but have yet to receive a response. My feeling is that if a company goes to the lengths of adding you as a "friend" on Facebook, then they better have at least one admin or intern responsible for interacting with their "friends".


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