courage

The Gift of Charisma

 

This post is dedicated to the power, gift and talent within, and the courage to express it. 

 
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6 Attributes of the Charismatic Leader

Speed / Power

Creativity

Confidant Expression

Influence / Collaboration

Inspiration / Vision

Fueling


What is Charisma?

Charisma is the experience of being totally moved  by the raw presence of another human being - their unfiltered, honest, vulnerable, powerful self.

Magnetic presence. Power. Attraction. Charm. A divinely conferred power, talent or gift. It is that certain Je ne said quios, that powerful force of aliveness and passion in the eyes, voice, and heart that inspires,and connects. Charisma draws us in, and it also pushes us away. It creates, and it destroys. It is the experience of being totally moved  by the raw presence of another human being - their unfiltered, honest, vulnerable, powerful self.

The gift of charisma, to which we are all privy when we deeply connect to our own source of passion, is that of pure power, energy, charm, and spirit. Charisma invigorates, inspires and magnetizes. It makes transformation possible. To lead with charisma, a leader must be willing to be unconventional, willing to invoke and express emotional depth, and creativity in a simple, relatable, responsible yet emphatic way. 

Below is a personal expression of my experience of charisma. I wrote the words as they came to me. 


 

Power Action Style

 Affirms, invigorates, inspires and influences action with captivating energy and presence

 

The audience senses her presence. They feel it in their bones - they lean imperceptibly toward her even though she's invisible. They don’t know why they do it. All they know is they can’t help it. They are magnetized by her - by every word she says, by the way she says them, by the message of her presence.

She walks in the room. The silence gets deeper, more profound. Her shoes click against the hard wood floor. Poised, powerful, and undaunted by the pressure of the audiences’ clinging, she strides to the podium, asserts herself firmly behind it, clears her voice as if to speak, and then, she smiles. Its the type of smile that puts you at ease, rescuing you from the trance of expectation. That's her welcome, her way of instructing you to take your seat, open your ears, and simply listen.  Let yourself be moved, the smile says.

Then, the smile fades, and for a moment deafening silence overtakes the room.

And then, the lion roars. Words flow from her. She doesn’t say them, she expresses them with the totality of her being - her voice, her body, her eyes - with the courage of her unconventional passion.

The lion roars.

Words flow from her. She doesn’t say them, she expresses them with the totality of her being - her voice, her body, her eyes - with the courage of her unconventional passion. She shocks them with her ruthless honesty, and engages them with the articulation of her message, and purpose. She feels every word she says, she lives every word - she expresses each one with the force of her being, deeply respecting and trusting the rawness of her voice. 

Confidence oozes from her pores. With every ounce of her being, she believes, and her belief infuses the hearts and minds of those around her with a sense of belonging, power, and promise. She knows the danger of her gift. She fears her gift - its ability to move, spark and inspire. She fears the responsibility that comes with her gift - the gift of freedom and greatness. 

She chooses to step into the fear. To let life, and the gift, gravitate toward her and flow from her. She doesn't pursue it. Pursuit pushes the gift away. She welcomes it, and lets it come to her.  She understands that to share the gift, she must be responsibility for it. The gift can create and destroy. Power is never neutral. The choice is hers, and hers alone. 

Impact of magnetic presence

  1. Engage through ability to express powerful and passionate message
  2. Energize through strong emotion
  3. Express unconventional, courageous vision
  4. Infuse with Belief
  5. Connect through powerful presence
  6. Transforms  

So she chooses to use her gift to help others discover their own natural charisma - their personal spark of presence and passion. She knows she mustn’t let them cling. She mustn’t diminish them, or herself. She must use her gift to help them discover their own power, to magnetize them to impactful cause, not to a person, personality, or prestige. 

For the gift, the human gift, the gift of energy, of charisma, of power, is a force field - it draws us in and repels us away.Charisma is the gift of grace. It is volatile, and beautiful.  It creates. It destroys. 

Share your gift. She dares you.

Discover Within, Expand Beyond

Rachel



 

 

What is Praxis?

 

This post is dedicated to Alli Tanner, Praxis CEO, my dear friend, and soon to be Mrs. Van Shaack. Thanks for always dreaming, exploring, and charging ahead, heart first. This is only the beginning.  

 
 
That’s Alli’s way, she is courageous. She loves adventure, she loves charging forward and having fun. She’s willing to chase a ball down that seems unreachable to everyone else. Without Alli’s commitment and courage to charge ahead, Praxis wouldn’t exist. 
 

Before we dig into the next blog series on Personal Action Styles, and Leadership Languages, I wanted to take a second to rewind and refresh.

Let's go back to the summer of 2004 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was hot outside. The sticky, muggy, can't escape the sun, end of summer, smells like dogwood trees, North Carolina hot. Alli Tanner was a freshman at UNC. I was a sophomore. It was the first day of preseason. Since school wasn't in session, and the dorms weren't open, Alli was crashing at my off-campus apartment. 

The day started with the gauntlet. Alli came out guns blazing and ran a ridiculously fast gauntlet. Evening dawns, and we take the field for the annual opening day, intra-squad scrimmage.  Alli, a forward, comes out again, guns blazing. She charges forward, heart first, head up, ready to pounce, chasing down a pass that seems unreachable. She closes in on the circle - she has a chance - the goal keeper rushes toward the ball, Alli doesn't stop, she keeps going, determined to win the contest. The goal keeper gets to the ball first, swings her leg back to clear it, makes contact, and bam, Alli takes the ball straight into the forehead from point blank distance. She goes down. Blood seeps from a massive gash that spans from her hairline to the tip of her nose. I swore it was so deep you could see her skull. 

I don't remember what happened next. I imagine Alli got up, got stitched up, and asked Coach if she could go back in. That's Alli's way, she is courageous. She loves adventure, she loves charging forward and having fun. She's willing to chase a ball down that seems unreachable to everyone else. Without Alli's commitment and courage to charge ahead, Praxis wouldn't exist. 

So, what is Praxis? 

Praxis is a personal discovery and actualization process built by Alli and myself to translate dreams and ideas into actionable realities. 

 

 

iNTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT MODEL

The Know You Cube

A comprehensive self-assessment tool that athletes use during the Beta-lete Program to develop a better understanding of individual behavioral attributes as they relate to the whole picture. It provides valuable, specific information on how the athlete perceives their current reality. It provides a platform to engage in purposeful personal development. 

6 Elements of Praxis Wellness

Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Developmenal, and Habitual

36 Praxis Attributes 

Each element consists of 6 Core Attributes. An attribute is a specific characteristic, quality, or skill. Attributes, as measured through action, are developable. 

6 Praxis Action Styles

An action style is specific way of doing, how an individual engages in action. Each action style consists of 6 Core Attributes. The 6 Action Styles are Disciplined Practice, Trust, Power, Steadiness, Malleability, and Determination

6 Leadership Languages

Each Action Style translates to a specific Leadership Language. A Language of Leadership is a method of delivering messages to mobilize action in a group of people.  The 6 Languages are: By Example, Shepard, Charismatic, Steadfast, Versatile, and Visionary.

 

Discover Within, Expand Beyond,

Happy Wedding Weekend Alli & Spence,

Rachel