Executive Charisma: Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership [Hardcover]

D. A. Benton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003

A proven six-step process for acquiring the style, flair, and credibility needed to make it to the top

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According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, managers who do not exude an allencompassing self-confidence, style, poise, and energy, in short, "executive presence," are highly unlikely to make it to the corner office. Unfortunately, the vast majority of managers, even the most talented and ambitious ones, are not born with these personal qualities. In this breakthrough book, bestselling author and world-renowned executive development coach D. A. Benton helps readers acquire executive charisma.

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In Executive Charisma, Benton outlines a proven six-step approach for learning how to think, act, and relate to others like an executive.

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She provides powerful tools for fine-tuning the complete executive charisma skill set, including:

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• Interpersonal communications .
• Managing upwards .
• Confidence building .
• Business humor .
• Executive bearing, and more .

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Drawing upon her experience coaching clients at American Express, Century 21, Merrill Lynch, Nabisco, Viacom, Pepsi, and other top companies worldwide, Benton clearly defines executive charisma and explains why projecting a commanding professional demeanor is so fundamental to corporate success.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"But no matter how good your business credentials or brilliant your intellect, (recruiters say) they're only the minimum requirement for an executive position. Without "executive presence" - a kind of self-confidence on steroids that encompasses your appearance, poise, communication style, energy and charisma - you aren't likely to secure a top job, whether in your current company or a new organization." - Wall Street Journal, 4/18/01; "What Benton teaches makes all the difference." - Diane Sawyer

From the Back Cover

You know charisma when you see it in executives who exude self-confidence, style, composure, authority, and a boundless energy that propels them straight into the corner office. You work just as hard, contribute just as much; you're talented and ambitious, but what can you do? You're either born with charisma, or you're not, right? Wrong!

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In Executive Charisma, bestselling author and world-renowned executive development coach D.A. Benton demonstrates that charismatic executives are not just born, they are made--and she introduces a proven six-step program for transforming yourself from a competent manager into a true leader. You'll learn how to think, act, and communicate like a C-level executive (CEO, CFO, CIO, etc.), and you'll discover powerful tools for developing and fine-tuning the complete executive charisma skill set.

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Drawing on interviews with more than 500 of the world's leading executives and studies conducted by dozens of leading universities and research centers, Benton reveals that people skills account for 85 percent of why we get, keep, and move ahead in our jobs. The leaders who make it to the very top are those who work as hard at mastering the human side of management as the technical side. Executive Charisma shows you how to do the same.

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With the help of this no-nonsense guide, you'll improve your interpersonal communication skills, learn how to manage upward, and find ways to project confidence even when you're feeling insecure. You'll discover how to use humor to put others at ease, develop an impressive executive bearing, and master the "Sacred Six Steps" to becoming an outstanding leader:

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• Be the first to initiate .
• Expect and give acceptance to maintain esteem .
• Ask questions, and ask favors .
• Stand tall, straight, and smile .
• Be human, humorous, and hands-on .
• Slow down, shut up, and listen .

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If you yearn to go beyond survival and just getting by, to take charge of your life, your career, and your destiny, stop dreaming and get to work. Read Executive Charisma, master the Sacred Six Steps, successful trait by successful trait; and infuse your climb up the corporate ladder with momentum and direction. You'll be amazed how much fun real success can be.

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D. A. Benton heads Benton Management Resources, an executive development and career-counseling firm in Fort Collins, Colorado, with clients in 18 countries. She is the author of numerous books, including the bestsellers Lions Don't Need to Roar and How to Think Like a CEO, as well as Secrets of a CEO Coach, and How to Act Like a CEO.

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Develop the style, flair, and credibility that will propel you to the top!

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Advance Praise for Executive Charisma:

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"A wonderfully personal, step-by-step guide to being a truly caring leader with integrity, confidence, and drive."--Reuben Mark, Chairman and CEO, Colgate-Palmolive Company

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"Getting to better answers, better strategies, better positions inevitably means having an accurate and complete roadmap.� For those seeking to improve--this is the roadmap."--Kerry Hicks, President and CEO, HealthGrades, Inc.

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"Leaders need to know both what to do and how to do it effectively. This is the 'how-to' part!� Debra Benton helped me, now she can help you."--Bill Coleman, founder and former Chairman and CEO, BEA Systems

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"Amazing.� Debra Benton has done it again.� She has uncovered fresh insights and nuances which separate the charismatic leader from the rest of the pack."--Doug Conant, president�and CEO, Campbell Soup Company

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See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071411909
• ISBN-13: 978-0071411905
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stretching Good Material, December 13, 2006

By 

James McCarthy (Altadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Executive Charisma: Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership (Hardcover)

Deborah Benton is a serious student of what makes successful business people successful, and her book 'How to Think Like a CEO" reflects the seriousness and depth of her work there.

This book, on the other hand, is a very long hike for a very small picnic. She has essentially re-worked very familiar ground for her into a book that simply doesn't have enough to say to fill its length.

There are times, for example, when while reading, one realizes that the last paragraph has been nothing but semi-connected quotes from people in the large archive of Ms. Benton's interview files. It doesn't really go together and it doesn't really make any new points.

I would strongly recommend 'How to Think Like a CEO' but I would definitely not recommend this book.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Let your light so shine before men....", July 28, 2003

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Executive Charisma: Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership (Hardcover)

The word "charisma" is derived from the Greek word "kharisma," meaning divine gift, and used in reference to someone who has an exceptional ability to attract the attention and devotion of substantial numbers of people. Throughout history, some despicable people (e.g. Adolph Hitler) have demonstrated the power of charisma but we tend to explain it, rather, as a positive, desirable quality, associating it with those whom we admire, respect, and trust (e.g. Mohandas Gandhi). In this context, of special interest to me is Jim Collins' assertion that many of the CEOs of the good-to-great companies he studied are not charismatic.

According to information provided by Princeton University Press which published Search for a Corporate Savior: The Irrational Quest for Corporate CEOs, Rakesh Khurana shares what he learned from a rigorous research of the hiring and firing of CEOs at over 850 of America's largest companies and from extensive interviews with CEOs, corporate board members, and consultants at executive search firms. "He explains the basic mechanics of the selection process and how hiring priorities have changed with the rise of shareholder activism. Khurana argues that the market for CEOs, which we often assume runs on cool calculation and the impersonal forces of supply and demand, is culturally determined and too frequently inefficient. Its emphasis on charisma artificially limits the number of candidates considered, giving them extraordinary leverage to demand high salaries and power. It also raises expectations and increases the chance that a CEO will be fired for failing to meet shareholders' hopes. The result is corporate instability and too little attention to long-term strategy."

All this is shared to create a context for comments on Benton's most recent book. In it, she offers a six-step process to develop "executive charisma: Be the first to initiate; expect and give acceptance to maintain esteem (yours as well as others'); ask questions and ask favors; stand tall, straight, and smile; be human, humorous, and hands-on; and finally, slow down, shut up, and listen. Obviously Benton agrees with Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) and Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) who affirm the same values, as do more recent authors such as Jim O'Toole, Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman, John Maxwell, and David Maister.

Merely listing the six steps in no way detracts from Benton's thorough analysis of each. She correctly insists that all should be developed sequentially; they are separate but interdependent. For that reason, their full development should be carefully integrated. As my reviews of her previous books indicate, her titles can be somewhat misleading. For example, when explaining how to think and act like a CEO, she is NOT suggesting that if you read those two books, you will become a CEO. The same is true of the title of this book. Benton does not suggest that by reading it you will become charismatic. If I understand her correctly, her purpose rather is to suggest how to increase what is generally referred to as "personal magnetism": that is, becoming more attractive to others by earning their admiration respect, and trust. My own experience indicates that charismatic people have an inherent authenticity in terms of their beliefs, values, and behavior. Charlatans also have some glitter but lack integrity and are inevitably found out.

One other point I wish to stress (on Benton's behalf) is that she did not write this book only for executives unless the word's meaning is extended to include anyone who takes action (executes) and/or calls upon others to do so. Benton's six-step process has obvious relevance to the world of commerce but also to education, athletics (especially youth sports), public service, healthcare, and (yes) religious organizations. There seem to be two quite different forms of charisma: cosmetic (of short duration such as a sparkler) and organic (of extended duration such as the bunsen burner). The former is expedient. The latter is authentic. The real deal. The right stuff. Call it whatever you will.

Not everyone can develop a dazzling personality but, as Benton asserts, everyone can become worthy of others' admiration respect, and trust. And that is as true of the CEO of a major corporation as it is of the volunteer who coaches that CEO's daughter or granddaughter on a youth soccer team.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!, February 29, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Executive Charisma: Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership (Hardcover)

Remember everything your mother told you. Stand up straight. Pull your shoulders back. Be outgoing. Smile. If you've forgotten these lessons, this is for you. It's not what you know, it's who you know - and what they think and feel about you - that makes all the difference in your career. Be human. Ask for favors. Ask for information. Pitch in. Have a sense of humor. Speak slowly and listen carefully. Author D.A. Benton's presumably deep, probing interviews with 500 executives convinced her that charisma isn't inborn. She believes that everyone can learn to be charismatic. Just follow the six steps that can turn even the most repulsive excuse for a manager into a charming, charismatic executive. So, read this and practice. There's no harm in it, and it might do some good. However, while recommending this basic manual, suspects that the nature of charisma is a bit like the way a jazz musician explained the nature of jazz - if you have to ask what it is, you'll never know.