By STEVE BODOW

Gannett News Service

Historically, charisma has most often been associated with careers in politics, the military or entertainment, which require playing to large audiences. But in the past few years, charisma has become important for business executives as well.

But what exactly is charisma? And is it good for business?

Charisma is purely emotional. The word's Greek root means "divine favor," which demonstrates how this mysterious magnetism has always been seen as a bit superhuman.

"Neither money nor the media can confer charisma," writes psychologist James Hillman in Kinds of Power: A Guide to its Intelligent Uses.

"This kind of power is a mystery that does not belong to human persons but enhances them with an otherworldly charm that is best expressed by the term `star.'‚''

In the rationalist world of business organizations, charisma is animal magnetism at work in the realm of spreadsheets and PowerPoint.

Charisma is more than the ability to win friends and influence people, though it certainly includes those powers. It is one form of persuasive acumen among many, well suited to certain situations and not at all to others.

Jay Conger, a London Business School professor and University of Southern California researcher, gives what is perhaps the most concise breakdown of the traits that combine to create charisma. The list is as interesting for what it does not contain -- nothing about physical appearance, likability, education or social background, for example -- as for what it does.

An additional aspect of charisma is emotional intensity. When a charismatic leader is in charge, the emotional stakes are always high. For better or worse, he creates an environment in which people care with extraordinary depth about their work.

Almost religious devotion to a leader's plan has characterized the social dynamic at many young technology companies. Conger believes the key skill charismatic leaders possess is the ability to infuse what might otherwise seem a mundane goal with dramatic, powerful significance.

What makes up charisma? According to researcher Jay Conger, it includes: A restless compulsion to challenge the status quo. The charismatic leader is at home and effective in chaos. A clear vision of which uncharted territory to explore. An ability to articulate that vision to any audience and to imbue it with a sense of great importance. An ability to create a sense that no other person could … or would … take the same tactic. An ability to inspire and permit those around him to do extraordinary things.

The devotion invited by a charismatic leader encourages workers to give themselves fully to the institution, finding joy in their single-minded service to what they see as a higher cause. They work more, subsumed in something bigger than themselves.

What's more, their loyalty is rewarded tangibly in the form of a paycheck. It's a killer combination, one that makes charismatic business executives heroes for both workers and shareholders.

There can be a flip side to the energy, drive and large-scale change charismatic leaders bring. Their tendency to fight routine crucial in their creation of business methods works at odds with those new methods establishing themselves for the long term.

Raising a sick company to health takes one set of skills, while keeping a healthy one fit requires another. It is the truly rare charismatic leader who has both.

"Charisma doesn't handle labor negotiations, restructuring for a turnaround or petty struggles with a querulous board," Hillman said. "(The gods) do not seem to care much about the balance sheet."

There are many accomplished executives with strategic vision and solid leadership skills who are not seen as charismatic. Lower-profile chiefs may better suit more conservative industries.

Ed Johnson of mutual fund giant Fidelity, for example, doesn't have a motivational speaker's ability to rally the troops. But then Fidelity might not have much to gain from the sudden and sweeping change that charismatic leaders most often predicate. In many a consumer's mind, Fidelity means long-term common sense and stability. A chaotic leader could threaten Fidelity's value proposition pretty fast.

This example illustrates why charisma is not a magic bullet for business problems. In the end, an executive's worth must be measured in business terms: profitability, growth, employee retention and responsibility to the larger community.

Steve Bodow writes for Spencer Stuart, a global executive search firm offering mid- and senior-level executive search, board director appointments and strategic assessment. From the USA Today Careers Network.