Now THAT Is Charisma
Monday, October 12th, 2009A word bandied about when describing powerful people is charisma. To me, charisma is having a presence. I’ve worked for many bosses, some with that presence, some without.
Someone I know quite well told me a story that sums up charisma or presence or magnetism or X factor or whatever you want to call it.
Apparently, a female acquaintance of my close friend absolutely despised Bill Clinton. This was during the time of the allegations by Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones and others, and capped off with the Monica Lewinsky fiasco. Coincidentally, this lady’s husband was invited to a fund raiser with President Clinton. Only because her husband’s boss expected him to attend did she consent to go to the affair (no pun intended).
The couple arrived and got in the “meet & greet” line, this lady glaring at the President as they got closer and closer, thinking about the type of immoral “role model” we had leading our country. They finally made their way to the President and Mrs. Clinton and were introduced. Everyone politely shook hands.
The lady told this story to my friend and, when she got to the part about shaking hands, she looked my friend straight in the eye and said, “And if he had asked me to go to bed with him right then and there, I would have.”
Marianne Williamson captured charisma when she said:
“Charisma is a sparkle in people that money can’t buy. It is a visible energy with visible effects.”