When a revered entrepreneur falls from grace, we collectively gasp and ask ourselves: “How could this possibly happen?”
Logically, the answer is typically pretty straightforward: they were bleeding cash, the company’s financials didn’t make sense, or you know, they were running a complete fraud. But to get to that point, the founders had to convince a whole bunch of people to fund their vision and pay thousands of dollars to attend a music festival that never took place.
And that part has absolutely nothing to do with logic. It has to do with charisma. And charisma is the ultimate double-edged sword. Just look at how society describes the following: Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes was “a striking female entrepreneur with a heartfelt personal story.” Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland was “a charming, seemingly trustworthy salesman.” WeWork’s Adam Neumann had “an inexplicably persuasive charisma and a taste for risk.”
In a longform Neumann profile, one part that stuck with me. Harrison Weber, a former WeWork editorial director, remembers how Neumann would talk about creating the first “physical social network,” referring to a place where members could talk about jobs, family, love. “It was like, wait, you mean life. What you’re talking about is just regular life,” Weber said.
It reminded me of the time a founder sent me the following pitch: “It’s like a jacket, but for your legs.” And I thought, “Oh my god, he’s talking about pants.” They may speak in clichés, but if they’re charismatic, the clichés sound revolutionary.
In this fascinating 1996 Fortune feature, writer Pattie Sellers delves into the mysterious, elusive “X factor” all leaders chase but only some possess. “Charisma is a tricky thing. Jack Kennedy oozed it—but so did Hitler and Charles Manson,” she writes. “Con artists, charlatans, and megalomaniacs can make it their instrument as effectively as the best CEOs, entertainers, and presidents. Used wisely, it’s a blessing. Indulged, it can be a curse.”
I’m interested in the times where charisma is used wisely.
Below, I break down some very specific techniques that will help you dial up the charisma and use it for good in your everyday life.