Don’t Have Charisma? Don’t Worry, Read This!
A new study revealed that charisma is not a crucial factor in being an effective leader.
A study conducted by Michigan State University business scholars showed bosses who are more supportive and have clear goals and expectations are more effective in motivating their employees.
They say managers can become effective leaders even without grand visions.
What makes an effective boss then?
The study suggests that to be effective leaders, bosses should be quick to modify their mindset to produce a certain result from workers, whether that’s innovation or a more conservative work focus aimed at meeting basic obligations and preventing errors.
Brent Scott, MSU professor of management and study co-author, said, “Effective leadership may be based in part on a leader’s ability to recognize when a particular mental state is needed in their employees and to adapt their own mental state and their behaviors to elicit that mindset.”
The study was published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
Charisma is Not Everything
The study indicates that one does need a charisma like Steve Jobs to be an effective leader.
Scott highlighted, “Part of the story here is that you don’t have to be Steve Jobs to be an effective leader. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing.”
One can become an effective leader focusing on “contingent reward behavior.”
Scott explained, “The contingent approach is quid pro quo – if you do this, I’ll give you that. It’s not sexy like transformational leadership, but it’s something that just about every manager can do because it doesn’t require you to ooze charisma.”
Study of Effective Leaders
The study was launched with the aim to explore how a leader’s regulatory focus, or mindset, affects his or her own behavior and, in turn, employees’ motivation.
The study was headed by Russell Johnson, MSU associate professor of management. The researchers conducted field studies and experiments with hundreds of managers and employees from a variety of industries including professional services, manufacturing and government.
