“Being given being and action by something bigger than yourself is the source of the serene passion (charisma) required to lead and to develop others as leaders, and the source of persistence (joy in the labor of) when the path gets tough.” Asserts Erhard et al (2022).
Not being sure myself what exactly this means I looked it up in Oxford Languages dictionary which defines charisma as:
1. compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.
“she enchanted guests with her charisma”
2. a divinely conferred power or talent.
Originating from Greek kharis and later Kharisma meaning favor, grace. Then in the mid 17th century, charisma in (sense 2): via ecclesiastical Latin.
Similar words to sense 1: Charm, presence, aura, personality, drawing power, appeal, allure, attractiveness, pull, magic, spell, mystique, glamor.
Advice from ‘the Web’
There are articles on developing charisma which seem to primarily focus on something a person must do personally like being approachable and pleasant. Additionally, one must have leadership ability and strength of presence. And in order to do that one must think positively, somehow be persuasive, communicate a compelling vision, strong communication skills, motivate people to do hard jobs, be cheerful, bounce back (resilience), and high self-esteem.
I don’t know about you but that is not the way I wound up being. And yet having taken on a project that was way bigger than myself that fulfilled issues of fundamental importance for myself and others that were interested parties (more about that here at the 18:05 mark especially).
Having this project opened up a new world for me. It was as if I had some super powers compared to the way I had been. All of those extraordinary qualities seemed to just become part of who I am naturally or as the author says: “part of my natural self-expression.”
What are we talking about- definition
About the serene passion:
Serene-
- Calm, peaceful and untroubled; tranquil
Passion-
- Strong and barely controllable emotion.
This says we are having a strong, barely controllable emotion and yet calm at the same time.
Map it Onto My Life
What happened when I began communicating regarding being up to something bigger, which was, in my case communicating the vision of Ukraine having a magnitude of reduction in suicide, I was actually clam. Yet at the same time there was a strong emotion that I had to manage so the exuberance would not come across in such a way that the deans and department heads were not alarmed regarding the state of my sanity.
Strangely enough when I shared the poster of ‘deaths by self-inflicted injury’ by country and said I had a course that would make a difference, they were not unduly alarmed. I was willing and able to back up my claim. Perhaps they were responding to my peacefulness and certainty. Having graduated from a top social work school in the US and coming half-way around the world after all might have some influence. I could tell what was going on with them because I was out-here where they were. See here for the distinction out-here anyone can easily accomplish.
Need Research
Other than sharing my experience I don’t have any academic papers that support the assertion by Erhard et al (2022). Perhaps some of you have experienced the same (please comment) when you were up to something so big you had no idea how to accomplish it, yet you were in action.
In the absence of any scientific or academic studies that back up or refute the claim. We are left with looking to see what there is to see about the matter. I assert that this is the author’s assertion and it is left up to us to see if we find it to be valid in our experience and of course there is the possibility of designing a study.
My “Impossible” Promise that gives me being up to something bigger.
It is left to be seen if I can use this YouTube channel to “.. lead and to develop others as leaders, and the source of persistence (joy in the labor of) when the path gets tough.” It is my commitment. It is future that doesn’t seem to have been done before.
It is not a sure thing by a long shot that this will make a difference. In my interviewing friends, I determined that only one book on average has made a profound difference and a life changing impact. So it is possible just not apparently highly likely. No one has said a YouTube channel has ever made a significant difference. I have not interviewed a statistically significant population. An indicator will be the subscribers, likes, comments. In classes I had a captive audience and they were there to get a grade. Now there are no such inducements. Anybody have any ideas? I know the potential of these distinctions. It looks like I will need to develop yet another skill set I know nothing about. Yet another new world in the “joy of the labor of”.
What AI has to say about it.
This little pencil is lurking on the left side shadowing my typing line by line in GDocs. It is looking over my shoulder as I write and the pencil tracks just behind my typing ready to chime in? All of a sudden most of the article was highlighted in an eerie light lime green. I hovered over the pencil and it identified itself as “Help Me Write (Labs)”, so I thought I would throw it a curve ball and asked: “Is anything else I should say?” and this is what it responded with highlighted in the same eerie green light:
“Based on your context, it sounds like you are trying to achieve something big and important. You are feeling passionate about it, but also a bit nervous about whether you will be able to succeed. You are wondering if there is any research that supports the idea that it is possible to be serene and passionate at the same time.
I think it is great that you are pursuing something that you are passionate about. It is important to have goals and dreams in life. And it is also important to believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals.
I don’t know of any research that specifically supports the idea of being serene and passionate at the same time. However, I do believe that it is possible. I think that when you are truly passionate about something, it can give you a sense of peace and calm. You know that you are doing something that is important to you, and that can be a very grounding feeling.
Of course, there will be times when you feel nervous or scared. That is normal. But if you keep your focus on your goal and your passion, you will be able to overcome those challenges.
I wish you all the best in your journey. I believe in you!”
It’s missing some things but it’s ability to understand and reflect is quite unusual. It’s response is pretty impressive, too. In five years from now, It will be another world we live in for sure. What do you see?
Reference
Erhard, Werner and Jensen, Michael C. and Zaffron, Steve and Zaffron, Steve and Echeverria, Jeronima, Course Materials for: ‘Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership: An Ontological/Phenomenological Model’ (October 4, 2022). Harvard Business School NOM Working Paper No. 09-038, Simon School Working Paper No. 08-03, Barbados Group Working Paper No. 08-02, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1263835 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1263835
Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect : how your mindset can change your world. Henry Holt And Company.