"Aura of command"

[asterroc]

I've often heard individuals described as having an "aura of command", "aura of power", or "aura of leadership". Such people are described as having a magnetic personality, of drawing people to them, of entering a room and everyone immediately snaps to attention, of having their every word paid attention to.

I have never met such a person. Do these people, does this quality, really exist? Or is it just a literary hyperbole that people have bought into and pretend exists in real life? Is it just really rare and that's why I haven't encountered it? Is it really common and it's just been the luck of the draw that I haven't met such people? Or am I just insensitive to it?

Comments

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

There are people whose personality seems to cause others to want to put them in charge. They get looked to for semi-arbitrary decisions and for social conflict resolution.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

As I commented below, this adds to my fear that *I* might be one of those people. My colleagues at work have been trying to push me to take positions of responsibility, such as department chair or union president. I'm not really interested in these b/c I like to teach and they would take my time away from that. For now we have people in those positions who are (respectively) sufficiently competent and excellent at what they do, so I certainly don't have any incentive to do it.

[galbinus-caeli.livejournal.com]

Just don't abuse the power.

I figured out years ago that I am an "alpha male", I tend to end up in charge of projects and teams that I am involved in. I am asked advice even when more qualified people are involved.

If you do have this personality type, it is important to be aware of it. It is easy to take positions offered when others are better qualified, so learn to delegate and redirect.

It isn't a bad thing, or an undemocratic thing, it is just how humans seem to be built. We can get more things done more easily when someone can take charge.

Of course it also allows us to fall under the sway of people who use it for their own ends.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

*nods* In college I became lazy about organizing things - in HS I was always the one to organize events with my friends, but I got sick of this when we all moved on to college and told my friends one of them should organize it. Currently I have other motivations to not take/accept/apply for the positions my colleagues are pushing me towards. For example, such positions come with a course release, meaning I teach fewer courses, and I like teaching more than I like doing leadership things. Also the timing is bad, as I've a sabbatical coming up, and I'm thinking about going back to grad school. So yeah, I don't think I'm likely to abuse this power at the current time if I really do have it.

As for others abusing the power, maybe my insensitivity to it in others is what allows me to point out when those others are doing stupid things. I've been told I was "brave" once for doing so, and I just blinked and asked why. I mean, what the person said was clearly wrong, why *wouldn't* I point it out?