Your Recipe Needs a Mixture - Never a Balance.

If you happen to have the two "C's" you must keep them in the form of a mixture - not a balance.

What these "C's" might be? How about Charisma and Character - two ingredients often found in successful leaders. Let's look into this a bit and understand why it takes a mixture and why you must avoid creating a balancing act between the two.

Charisma is that smooth bit of elegance per se' that can get you into a game, gain you friends, manufacture smiles and even add to your personal magnetism - i.e Likeability Factor. Often times when the person with Charisma enters the room, your mood swings the corners of your mouth upward to a smile or at least a brighter moment for many. This "C" can even gain you votes on American Idol all the way to the finals (hmm hmm - while you sing quite well). It might even get you out of hot water - not sure what got you there in the first place; take a look at that first before relying on this "C" as your bail out.

Character on the other hand and hopefully for your sake of significance - the overflow of that other hand - is what will bring you to greatness in Leadership. Many of you have all heard it before. It's that 90% of all you do. Think of the iceberg imagery with Character being the 90% below the surface while talent is the 10% above the surface. What's below the surface will sink your ship every time. Long after your charismatic charm has left the room - people will be raving on your Character and lining up to buy the biography on your life.

Why the mixture and no balance? Think about this. There are many leaders who have a hot amount of Charisma and it has taken them down a good long road of accolades and praises only to hit a leadership road block where the law wins every time. They failed to keep Character as the majority mixture. Perhaps they got into a balancing act. This balancing act told them as long as they could maintain a see-saw approach they'd be fine. You Know - A little character, some charisma, a bit more character, a bit more charisma - This will not work!

Your Ingredients for a life of enhancing existence should be 10 parts Character to 1 part Charisma. Perhaps you may not have any charisma but your character is so abundant it would not fit inside a Suburban - Cheers Mate - I will line up to follow you! Always keep your Character focus so much stronger than what your Charisma provides. In the perhaps the GREATEST business book ever Jim Collins tells us:

"Indeed, those of you with a strong, charismatic personality, it is worthwhile to consider the idea that charisma can be as much a liability as an asset. Your strength of personality can sow the seeds of problems, when people filter the brutal facts from you. You can overcome the liabilities of having charisma, but it does require conscious attention."

Read the book (p. 73) and find a great tactic of conscious attention from the highly charismatic Winston Churchill. He knew how to keep his mixture in line for a successful leadership recipe.

How are you doing with your mixture?

Application to do alone or in front of your accountability friend: Go to the store and grab a small box of food coloring. Get a clean tall glass. The glass represents you! Get some purified drinking water. The water represents "Pure Character" and each drop of food coloring will represent "Charisma." Using the water first - be brutally honest with yourself and poor in an amount that represents your character. Maybe thinking on these questions will help you with the determined amount.

How do I handle my companies finances? Do I honor my spouse? Do I do the right thing even when I do not feel like it? Do you practice what you teach? Would I want my Children to be lead this way? You get the drift....

Now that you hopefully have some water in the glass (congrats if it's overflowing)...add your charisma drops. If your charisma overpowers your character - you will have one foggy reality of your Leadership, but a sure sign where your focus needs to be.

If this test takes your glass to all food coloring and no water - you have a toxic concoction. 

Remember - with high charisma comes conscious attention to a "pure water" state of daily Character.

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