In any people endeavor, the greatest challenge is to give people convincing confidence over their fear. Charisma is one of the most effective means by which leaders convince others that fear is not a problem. Fear cannot, in any organization, be totally eliminated. Charisma provides a specific means of fear management via projection. Fear incites various forms of denial.
Projection is one of the best defense mechanisms fearful people use.
Since people are so accustomed to jettisoning their fears through projection, the simplest, least anxious and most effective way to deal with those fears is to project them onto someone else. What Charismatic Leaders Do What charismatic leaders do is convince anxious individuals that they can handle the fear. When trusted a special level of intimacy develops by which individual and group fears become displaced and projected on a leader. Charismatic leaders non-anxiously seek out and absorb that fear. Often what sets the charismatic leader from other leaders is that charismatic leaders thrive and convert this projected anxiety to fuel a greater sense of confidence.