Post #1 Charismatic leaders are essentially very skilled communicators. They understand how to verbally express their thoughts and ideas to their followers on a deep, emotional level. They are able to articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and are able to arouse strong emotions in followers. Charisma is what helps leaders gain the love and support of their followers. They understand how to “work the room” while giving a speech. They pay much attention to the person they are talking to at any one moment, making that person feel like they are, for that time, the most important person in the world. Charismatic Leaders pay a great deal of attention in scanning and reading their environment, and are good at picking up the moods and concerns of both individuals and larger audiences. They then will hone their actions and words to suit the situation. With communication being a prime trait for the charismatic leader, one way to develop this skill in through practice with public speaking. For example, charismatic leaders such as Obama or Martin Luther King Jr. were masters of public speaking. This is because leadership is a public act. Individuals have to be comfortable standing in front of large or small audiences and speaking with knowledge as well as conviction. This may take some time to practice and develop, especially for individuals who are introverted or have anxiety for public speaking. There are several communication training courses that can help sharpen the skill of public speaking but I believe that the most skill will come from getting comfortable with providing speeches. The more experience one gains from delivering speeches will help to build individual style. References: Leanne Atwater, Robert Penn, Linda Rucker. (1991). Personal qualities of charismatic leaders. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 12 Issue: 2, pp.7-10 Conger, J. A., and R. N. Kanungo (1998). Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Post #2 Charisma “the ability to communicate a clear, visionary, and inspirational message that captivates and motivates an audience” (Antonakis, Feneley, & Liechti 2012, p. 127). It is important to leadership because as a leader you should be able to persuade others, be able to use powerful and reasoned rhetoric, establish personal and moral credibility, and then rouse followers’ emotions and passions. “If a leader can do those three things well, he or she can then tap into the hopes and ideals of followers, give them a sense of purpose and inspire them to achieve great things” (Antonakis, et al, 2012, p. 127). I do agree that charisma can be learned, to some, charisma is something that comes easy to them due to their personality, they are extroverts, however to those who are introverts and being charismatic does not come naturally, the trait can be learned through the right training. This has been studied by Antonakis, et al, 2012, who trained leaders on charismatic leade.

1. Post #1
Charismatic leaders are essentially very skilled communicators.
They understand how to verbally express their thoughts and
ideas to their followers on a deep, emotional level. They are
able to articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and are
able to arouse strong emotions in followers. Charisma is what
helps leaders gain the love and support of their followers. They
understand how to “work the room” while giving a speech. They
pay much attention to the person they are talking to at any one
moment, making that person feel like they are, for that time, the
most important person in the world. Charismatic Leaders pay a
great deal of attention in scanning and reading their
environment, and are good at picking up the moods and
concerns of both individuals and larger audiences. They then
will hone their actions and words to suit the situation.
With communication being a prime trait for the charismatic
leader, one way to develop this skill in through practice with
public speaking. For example, charismatic leaders such as
Obama or Martin Luther King Jr. were masters of public
speaking. This is because leadership is a public act. Individuals
have to be comfortable standing in front of large or small
audiences and speaking with knowledge as well as conviction.
This may take some time to practice and develop, especially for
individuals who are introverted or have anxiety for public
speaking. There are several communication training courses that
can help sharpen the skill of public speaking but I believe that
the most skill will come from getting comfortable with
providing speeches. The more experience one gains from
delivering speeches will help to build individual style.
References:
Leanne Atwater, Robert Penn, Linda Rucker. (1991). Personal
qualities of charismatic leaders. Leadership & Organization
Development Journal, Vol. 12 Issue: 2, pp.7-10

2. Conger, J. A., and R. N. Kanungo (1998). Charismatic
Leadership in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Post #2
Charisma “the ability to communicate a clear, visionary, and
inspirational message that captivates and motivates an
audience” (Antonakis, Feneley, & Liechti 2012, p. 127). It is
important to leadership because as a leader you should be able
to persuade others, be able to use powerful and reasoned
rhetoric, establish personal and moral credibility, and then
rouse followers’ emotions and passions. “If a leader can do
those three things well, he or she can then tap into the hopes
and ideals of followers, give them a sense of purpose and
inspire them to achieve great things” (Antonakis, et al, 2012, p.
127). I do agree that charisma can be learned, to some,
charisma is something that comes easy to them due to their
personality, they are extroverts, however to those who are
introverts and being charismatic does not come naturally, the
trait can be learned through the right training. This has been
studied by Antonakis, et al, 2012, who trained leaders on
charismatic leadership tactics, which resulted in a jump in a
leader’s competence to 60% on average. The charismatic
leadership tactics are nine verbals: metaphors, similes, and
analogies; stories and anecdotes; contrasts; rhetorical questions;
three-part lists; expressions of moral conviction; reflections of
the group’s sentiments; the setting of high goals; and conveying
confidence that they can be achieved. Three tactics are
nonverbal: animated voice, facial expressions, and gestures”
(Antonakis, et al, 2012, p. 128).
One example of a trait is being able to speak to a team who had
failed at a project and as a leader you have to get the team to
regroup, refocus and motivated to do better and not dwell on
failure. The CLT that one would need to possess is having
expressions of moral conviction which can be developed by
preparation, having a goal, have an understanding of who your

3. followers are and what they are feeling to help you express your
message and practice what and how your going to say it
(nonverbals).
Northouse, 2016, talked about President Barack Obama, who is
perceived by all as being very charismatic. When President
Obama speaks in front of people he shows charisma, especially
the nonverbals, his voice is animated, his facial expressions go
along with what he is talking about, if it’s something happy he
has a smile, if it’s serious you could see it in his face and he has
several gestures that he uses depending on the topic. I am sure
with President Obama’s experiences and training in public
speaking, along with his personality, has helped him become the
charismatic leader he is today.
Antonakis, J., Fenley, M., & Liechti, S. (2012). Learning
charisma. Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 127-130.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Post #3
Charisma is very important to leadership in that it allows the
leader to shape or fashion a message in order to convey their
ideas so they can be clearly understood, without
misinterpretation, by the receiver. According to Antonakis
(2012), this type of leader is well-versed in Charismatic
Leadership Tactics (CLTs), and they can become more
influential, trustworthy, and “leaderlike” in the eyes of others
(Antonakis, Fenley, & Liechti, 2012). Tactics suggest
something that is rehearsed and practiced fundamentally until it
becomes a skill that can be employed when needed. For this
reason, I would agree that some aspects of charisma can be
learned.
An example of this can be seen in many of our senior
politicians. They are confident with the knowledge and
experience they have which allows them to focus more on
utilizing their charisma to further enhance their message.
According to Goleman (2004), one of the charismatic traits they
might use is self-regulation. This is developed through practice

4. by controlling one’s feelings and keeping the content of the
message under steady control. It can be contagious throughout
the organization and a sought-out ability (Goleman, 2004).
For example, our boss is a very calculated and charismatic
individual. He has the ability to use CLTs and he is always self-
regulated, regardless of the situation. I often watch him during
meetings and try to practice emulating his behavior back in our
office while dealing with the customers.
References:
Antonakis, J., Fenley, M., & Liechti, S. (2012) Learning
charisma, Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 127 – 130
Goleman, D. (2004) What makes a leader? Harvard Business
Review, 82(1), 82-91
Post #1
Introducing Systems Thinking
Introducing systems thinking to my organization would begin
with a discussion of the importance of being a “learning
organization” with administration. Senge (2006) describes
learning organizations as “organizations where people
continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly
desire, where new and expansive patters of thinking are
nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where
people are continually learning how to learn together” (p. 3).
Then I would discuss how systems thinking looks at the whole
organization, rather than individual parts, to determine where
patterns of behavior/action exist so that we can better
understand “how to change the effectively” (Senge, 2006, p. 7).
Specific Tools and Use in the Workplace
Next, I would describe the two system archetypes of “limits to
growth” and “shifting the burden”, and provide examples of
how these two archetypes are actively impacting our
organization (Senge, 2006, p. 95-112). By providing specific
examples of how we can remove factors that limit growth, and
adjust organizational focus on providing solutions to address
fundamental problems, I will provide administration with a

5. clear picture of how systems thinking can help our organization.
Once the value of systems thinking was understood, more steps
to implement this discipline could be explored.
Additional Resources & Tools
Additional tools that could be used to help administration
understand systems thinking are “links and loops” (Senge, Ross,
& Smith, 1994, p. 89, 113-120). Many people grasp concepts
better when they can relate them to something visual. This is
where drawing links and related feedback loops can be helpful.
Helping Others See Interdependencies
As well, Collen and Minati (1999) offer seven ways to help
individuals and organizations learn more about systems thinking
through practical activities. These activities would definitely
help people understand their interdependencies.
References:
Collen, A. and Minati, G. (1999). Seven activities to engage
systems thinking. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3436/c52688ab6dae545fdb783b
b0b88b8b052c16.pdf
Senge, P.M. (2006). The fifth discipline: the art and science of
a learning organization. New York, NY: Currency/ Doubleday.
ISBN:0-385-51782-3
Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. & Smith, B.
(1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for
building a learning organization. New York, NY: Currency/
Doubleday. ISBN: 0-385- 47256-0
Post #2
Working in the field of public education, we get new content
and professional learning introduced to us all the time. If I were
to introduce systems thinking into my work place, I would start
by providing examples of the success some organizations have
had because of embracing systems thinking. After gaining some
buy in from the staff, I would try to organize some sort of a
reading of The Fifth Discipline for the staff or get everyone

6. their own copy and set up reading groups. It would be crucial
that everyone is in the right mindset before being introduced to
something like systems thinking. Personally, as soon as I picked
up the book I fell in love with the material. Everyone wins with
a systems thinking approach. Once I got my staff to start
thinking about our organization as a system, other aspects of the
learning organization would fall into place: “You can only
understand the system of a rainstorm by contemplating the
whole, not any individual part of the pattern. Business and other
human endeavors are also systems” (Senge, 1990). Senge says
this beautifully, as he does most of his concepts and content in
the work. It is only when we begin to see the system that we can
begin to appreciate the feedback loops and other aspects of
systems thinking.
I would show a progression of companies like Ford, BP,
Harley-Davidson, and others that Senge mentions throughout
The Fifth Discipline, noting their longevity, adaptation, and the
idea that they are masters of sustainability in business practice
and corporate learning. Some of these companies have thrived
for longer than a century now. I would become a student of the
historical elements of organizations that have thrived on
systems thinking and compare them with other organizations
that have failed. Without a doubt, if possible financially, I
would send all my leadership and managerial staff to Senge’s
conferences on organizational learning and systems thinking.
In the field book, Senge says, “We expect people to
learn when the costs of failure are high, when personal threat is
great, when there is no opportunity to ‘replay’ an important
decision…” (Senge et. al, 1994). I would have to try and create
a sense of urgency in my organization linked to personal
investment from everyone. One major way to make people see
their interdependencies is to illustrate it for them. A leader or
visionary would have to find a way to clearly illustrate to
people how their actions and commitments affect other elements
of the organization. Senge’s narration of the beer game in The
Fifth Discipline illustrates this vividly.

7. Senge, P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of
the learning organization, NY: Double Currency.
Senge, P.M., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., Smith, B. J., Kleiner, A.
(1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook, NY: Doubleday.
Post #3
Systems thinking is an intriguing concept that I do believe
would help my current organization. According to Senge (2006),
“…systems thinking encompasses a large and fairly amorphous
body of methods, tools, and principles, all oriented to looking at
the interrelatedness of forces, and seeing them as part of a
common process” (p. 89). The reason I believe my organization
could benefit is because once you start thinking differently,
then you start seeing things differently and then you start to
mimic that in the way you are performing at work and within
your workgroup.
To implement systems thinking you have to be able to see the
larger picture. This is something I have received feedback on
prior in yearly performance reviews. I have been praised for my
ability to view the larger picture of a change, realize what
ramifications the change has to the rest of the downstream
workflow, and either justify that the positive out ways the
negative, so the change can be implemented. This is the art of
systems thinking according to Senge (2006). Senge (2006) goes
on to say that to implement this it can not be done as an
individual, so I would need to engage key members of my
department in system thinking in order for it to be successful.
Choosing members is also important because change is not easy,
and to implement change you don’t always make friends.
Therefore, these members would need to be able to withstand
and confront conflict head on.
In doing some research I came across a systems thinking
toolbox written by Daniel H. Kim (1994). It has a section on
vocabulary of systems thinking which I found to be very
helpful, especially for someone that I would just be introducing
systems thinking too. As Kim (1994) states, “Systems thinking

8. can serve as the language for communicating about complexity
and interdependencies” (p. 50). If you don’t have a feel for the
“language” then you will never grasp the concept of system
thinking so this tool could become invaluable in teaching
systems thinking to my team.
One way that I believe you can assist others in seeing
interdependencies is by utilizing the reinforcing process/loop.
Senge (2006) gave an example of an issue I am experiencing
with my management team not feeling accomplished at the end
of our monthly meetings. Our meetings used to be one hour,
then we couldn’t finish the agenda, so we moved it to 2 hours.
We still couldn’t get through the entire agenda and they asked
to move it to 2.5 hours. I didn’t think lengthening the meeting
was the resolution to not getting anything accomplished. When
you map that issue out using a reinforcing loop you can see the
daunting agenda becomes over whelming, where we lose focus
and become scattered in the meetings. The more scattered we
become, the less we understand and agree, the less we
understand and agree, the less we deep dive into concerns for
resolution. The less we dive into the concerns, the more we feel
unproductive from the meetings. I think if I present it this way
to my managers, the more they can understand time is not the
issue, it is the over packed agenda. We need to lessen the
amount of issues we are trying to solve per meeting so that we
can stay focused.
Resources
Kim, D.H. (1994) Systems thinking tools: A user’s reference
guide. Pegasus Communications, Inc. 1-55.
Senge, P.M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of
learning organizations. New York, NY: Doubleday.