Charisma: Upclose & Personal, Pt. 5

(The self-contained individual)

Recently, Robert Braswell of The Braswell Group (United Kingdom) interviewed Edward Brown, lead trainer for Core Edge Image & Charisma Institute, to explore the aspects of charisma and its relevancy to profitability and leadership within a global economy. This is the final interview of a five-part series.
Part 5...

Robert: In the last few interviews, I've received mixed comments on the way I asked you questions and the ways you've responded. Suffice to say that our discussions have created some controversy. I still become uncomfortable when I've ruffled someone's feathers. You seem to handle it better. What is your secret?

Ed: I really don't have a secret. It really isn't my intention to get anyone's ire up. I merely have a point of view based on my research and body of work. Over a decade ago, I asked the question," What does it really take to be economically successful in contemporary society?" I believe my life up to this point has been relentless in answering the question with great passion.

Robert: What does it take to achieve economic success in contemporary society?

Ed: Invariably, I believe it takes an unquenchable quest for understanding the dynamics of human nature and how to master it. The individual has to become a "self-contained" unit within himself/herself and be connectedly detached from the wiles of people in general.

Robert: "Connectedly detached?" What does that mean?

Ed: It means you become almost needless of other people. You care about those individuals you relate to, but you don't get involved with their choices in such a way that you are effected by them. Buddhists believe that "Nirvana" or "Heaven on Earth" comes with being detached from the things that cause despair and unhappiness. Again, you care, but aren't tied to the choices and results of other people.

Robert: I understand your point intellectually, but it's hard to swallow emotionally. It's like telling people to stop loving others. Can you see where this would become problematic?

Ed: Certainly, but that's the challenge. My greatest fear as a child was a close relative dying. In the last seven years, I've lost my father, my grandmother and a close friend. I was hit hard by each death, but it didn't destroy me like I had imagined. My initial mental picture couldn't deal with such a lose. I thought I'd die myself. The reality is that while I was hurt and sorrowful from their passing, it didn't kill me. Those experiences taught me that you can still love and detach from the pain over time.

Robert: Is that kind of lose the same as being detached daily from the people around you?

Ed: It's a lesson in intellectual and emotional discipline. If I can take the lose of a loved one, how much can I become effected by the ill advised choices and back-biting of people who are mere acquaintances? I'm not intentionally not trying to care, I don't have the interest nor passion to even engage in how to care.

Robert: That's sounds contrary to being charismatic. How can you engage people and not have a passion for them?

Ed: We apparently have different notions of charisma and its impact. As I've stated before, charisma is merely a means of getting what you want. Whoever said charismatic people loved people? To know human nature, is to be cautious about it. During the 1990's, President Bill Clinton was loved by a large cadre of people as he was hated by another cadre of people. Currently, the same people who were "wowed" by him during that time are now questioning his commitment and loyalty to the ideas he reportedly believed in so dearly. Has his charisma diminished or is it a case of transitioning agendas? This is a perfect example in politics of there not being permanent friends nor enemies, just permanent interests. When his interest sided with one group of people, he was loved. When his interests changed, those same people castigated him. The man himself never changed.

Robert: So, charisma is whimsical and fleeting?

Ed: No, its power and impact is pure. What is fleeting and whimsical are the changing desires and interests of people. It's better for you to believe in an ideology and philosophy that may ruffle the feathers of some people than to attempt to satisfy the endless needs of people in general. Charisma helps you persuade the other person's thinking, but more importantly it's a means of communicating a compelling point of view. You may not agree with what I say, but you've got to appreciate the thought and passion that went into my analysis.

For more information, visit: Charisma