Company Charisma: Adding a little SWAC to your vibe
At Disrupt HR Austin, I had the opportunity to speak about company charisma (you can catch the video here). 📼 It was a great event (and tons of fun).
After discovering Vanessa Van Edwards on a Mel Robbins podcast, I learned that in a study by Princeton University, researchers found that 82% of our likability (how people evaluate others) is based on someone’s balance of warmth and competency….and incidentally, this is linked to our personal and professional success.
🧪 It’s the charisma formula (competence + warmth = likability). 🧪
But this charisma formula takes a balance of competence and warmth. 🤹
So I got to thinking…what if the same formula worked for company culture and brand? ✨👩🏼🔬
I mean, I’ve worked with companies oozing with charm but the business end was a hot mess.🔥 I’ve also been part of companies with strong competency but struggled to engage their team. 😴
Sometimes it just takes a little intentionality and a few hacks to find that perfect balance to a strong employer brand that will attract and inspire the right people.
Now who doesn't love a good acronym? So a good way to remember a few focus areas for balanced charisma is through SWAC (not to be confused with wack...which it's not).
Storytelling
Storytelling is the best tool to add warmth to your brand.
Storytelling showcases the employee experience, builds trust, and reconnects people with your organization's values. Make employees feel like part of the story, incorporating their professional needs and goals. Take them on a hero's journey alongside you.
Whole Employee Engagement
It’s time we see the importance of engaging employees where they are, in what season of life they're in. In today’s work environment, employees expect support for their entire well-being, not just professional. This means embracing and supporting diversity, fostering shared experiences, and learning as a unified community.
Authenticity
Ever joined a role only to wish you'd peeked behind the curtain? Authenticity plays a pivotal role in charisma. People see through fake…and will lose trust quickly. Remember when we were all talking about quiet quitting? Yep...be authentic and have the real conversations.
Core Competencies
And let's not forget about core competencies. Would you send someone untrained into a kickboxing ring? Balancing charm with competence means being crystal clear about the essential skills, hiring for foundational abilities, and then training passionately. It's about cultivating a resilient and capable team.
Finding that sweet spot between competence and warmth leads to epic, creative, and innovative employees. It's not just about sustainability; it's about thriving.
When Charisma is on
When charisma is on, companies can experience; quicker and better hiring, sustainable growth, resilience in times of change, less burnout, and higher connectedness among the team.
So, how does your company fare on the charisma scale? I'd love to connect and discuss how we can fine-tune your charisma, whether as a leader or an organization.
Here’s to your strong company vibes.
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💖🎧🎵 I help companies with culture and people operations without stepping on their vibe.
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