Keir Starmer might not have ‘rizz’; but does it matter as a leader?

Leaders with charisma – or perhaps ‘rizz’ if you’re thinking like a Gen Z-er – are often hailed as the great agents of change. While those who lack charisma, however, are more likely to be characterised as the stolid technocrats who might well get the job done but do so without the fire, fury and imagination of their charismatic counterparts. But the question is, does it matter if a leader lacks charisma? Can they still be effective in transforming the fortunes of the people and the organisations they lead?

Keir Starmer can’t claim to be the most charismatic leader this country has ever produced. But, after a tumultuous period of government, it seems the British people are quite happy to elect a Prime Minister who, in his years of leading the Labour party, made a virtue of styling himself as the “anti-charisma candidate”. And, true to form, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Starmer leant into that reputation by promising to end what he called the “era of noisy performance” in politics.

Situational leadership

Time will tell of course as to whether the country is happy to settle for this style of leadership, but it puts me in mind of Paul Hersey’s flexible model of ‘situational leadership’ which is explained as “a repeatable process for matching leadership behaviors to the performance needs of those being influenced”.

It’s clear that Starmer perceives that the country’s situation, and the needs of the British people, demands leadership where “stability and moderation” are to the fore; values that a predecessor like Boris Johnson would hardly have wanted to put at the centre of his electoral pitch!

For business leaders, the key then is not necessarily charisma, but is about being attuned to what the organisation needs from you as a leader; identifying the situation the organisation is in and the needs of your employees and adapting your approach as necessary. If the business is going through tough times, for example, you will require empathy and sensitivity to how people in the business are feeling and what they want from you as a leader, as compared perhaps to a more ‘bullish’ approach to a business in a high growth stage.

Authentic leadership matters

Of course, leaders must be authentic too. If Starmer decided that what the country needed was a charismatic leader, he would struggle to fill that brief. A ‘flashy’ Starmer would hardly be authentic and ultimately, it’s results that will judge his and any other leader’s performance. If a leader can shape their leadership style to match the situational requirements of their business or organisation and inspire confidence, loyalty, and feelings of competence in their leadership, while also delivering results, whether they have charisma or not will hardly matter.