The ‘charisma [1] thing’ seems to characterize as much of the chattering around what makes for good leadership as does ‘the vision thing’. As Jim Collins [2]shows in Good to Great [3], the level 5 leaders [4]have done extremely well for their companies often in the absence of this ‘magic’. But we know nevertheless that when we see it we tend to respond to it. History shows us that charisma can work for tremendous good, but also evil. It’s a mesmerizing quality that can drive followers to sometimes bond emotionally to the exclusion of rationality. Joseph Badaracco in his excellent Questions of Character [5] illuminates, with the help of F Scott Fitzgerald [6], the notion of reverse causality around charisma. That’s to say that it comes with success, the role, its power and span of influence as much as due to any personality traits. A sobering thought, and something former high profile leaders may wryly concur with.