The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism Paperback – March 26, 2013

I read a lot of books in this genre - call it "professional self-help." I've spoken professionally a few times now about leadership and communication, and for my most recent one just a few months ago I did a ton of reading research and a lot of it was books like this one. Most of them are mediocre. I began reading The Charisma Myth expecting more of the same, frankly: platitudes, some common sense stuff, the kinds of advice that will only make sense to people who don't need it. I was just hoping for a tidbit or two that would be useful.

I don't really gush about things. If anything I tend to be very demanding and therefore very critical. Like I said, I think most books in this genre are essentially useless.

The Charisma Myth is a truly phenomenal book. It's so good that I have recommended it to several of my colleagues and it has already changed the way I manage my team and relate to my coworkers. In fact, my first gut reaction when I read it was "I guess I should stop speaking, now, because everything I'd want to talk about is covered in here."

Here's the thing: most of these kinds of books give you a few things:

1. Platitudes: useless, pithy sayings.
2. Random Anecdotes: stories that don't really offer any takeaway you can act on.
3. Abstract Imperatives: things like "be a good listener!" If you're not already a good listener that's kind of like saying "Roast Beef Recipe: Get some beef and roast it." It's not helpful - it doesn't tell me what actual specific actions to take.

Here's what this book gave me:

1. Extremely concrete, specific actions: Every piece of advice about conduct or mindset is accompanied by direct actions to take. When you're in a conversation and find your mind drifting, bring it back to a physical sensation in the present, like the feeling in your toes. That's just one example of many, but they're all things you can actually DO, not abstract imperatives like "be a better listener" or pithy-but-vapid stuff like "smile more!"

2. Visualizations: I've never seen anyone push visualization like Olivia does. She makes the compelling point that visualization is something top athletes and actors have known about forever. In my talks I've always felt slightly uncomfortable urging people to do visualizations, but not anymore, not after reading this. She runs through a lot of specific visualizations, and they're immediately useful practices.

3. Taxonomies: Of the most useful business and management blogs I read, some of their most useful posts (I'm thinking of randsinrepose.com, for example) are taxonomies. "The five kinds of meeting attendees." "The four kinds of firefighting." Or whatever. These are helpful to me because by enumerating a problem space as a handful of distinct categories they help me crystallize my own thinking about it. Olivia does this when she enumerates the four kinds of charisma. Look, I think I'm a good manager and leader, an empathetic guy and good at my job, I'm not gonna lie, but I'd never thought about it in this way. This was pretty eye-opening to me. I read this part and thought, oh yeah, I've got the "focus" and "kindness" charisma but less of the "authority" and definitely least of all the "visionary" charisma. And that gives me specific things to work on, and a way to understand why I'm better at motivating people in certain circumstances rather than others.

To anyone who wants to be more charismatic: to be more successful at work, more able to positively influence those around them, more able to open up and make real connections with others, and just more able to lead a rich and happy life - and I know how this sounds, I swear I don't usually gush like this! - this book tells you everything you need to know. Everything! No other book I've read does that.

To be clear, that's like saying Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" tells you everything you need to know to be a very good, extremely strong weightlifter. You still have to do a ton of really hard work! This book doesn't make you magically charismatic. But it gives you direct, specific, applied practices that, if you do them, will make you more charismatic and enrich your life. Of all the pop psychology, management, leadership, and professional self-help books I've ever read, I cannot say that about a single other one.

I give this book my absolute highest recommendation. It is absolutely superb. I don't say that lightly.

I'm usually too lazy to write these reviews, so the fact that you see one right here, right now, should be proof enough about how much this book has really wowed me.
I got this book mainly so I could better improve my interaction with friends, and the tools I found in this book have impacted my life in such a way that I never expected. Now I recommend this book to anyone who struggles with friendship problems, social situations, business situations, or even self-esteem. I have never expected to learn so much from this book and would recommend it to anyone.

I chose to read this book for a college self-improvement assignment, and it is the best book I have ever read. I swear it's as if Cabane has been studying my thoughts and what happens inside my mind for my entire life. This book has literally changed the way that I think, and I have seen improvements in my Charisma after just reading the first chapter. I do not read often (which I am hoping to change), but I find myself trying to read this book every opportunity I can. The author uses simple language to explain her concepts, and she portrays all of her ideas in logical manners. I was surprised to find the science and biology behind Charisma. A must read! I recommend it to all!

I believe this book is destined to become one of the classics in the self-help and personal development fields. Ms. Fox Cabane has created an invaluable – and extremely practical – new resource for those of us who continually seek to improve our lives and expand our boundaries. The research is solid and compelling throughout, and the author does a fine job in presenting complex ideas in an engaging and highly readable style.
Her exercises on visualization, becoming more fully present in conversations, and quieting the mental chatterbox are all top-notch. It's a terrific read, and well worth your attention if you feel you may need a little guidance in these areas. Very highly recommended.