When I first stepped into leadership roles in the tech world, I found myself in many useful workshops on communication, performance, and leadership excellence. We dissected approaches, messages to convey,, and sharpened our styles.
All useful. All important.
But there was one thing we never seemed to talk about in great detail and that is charisma.
Charisma, while subtle, is really important. It’s what makes certain leaders magnetic while others, equally talented, seemed to find it harder to built organizational trust.
Understanding Charisma
So what is charisma? It’s not charm. It’s not ego.
Charisma is the ability to attract, influence, and inspire and is a blend of two qualities:
Warmth (likable, approachable, trustworthy)
Competence (confident, capable, credible)
In Vanessa Van Edwards’ book Cues, she shows how even small body language shifts can tip the balance. Too much warmth without competence, and you come across as unsure. Too much competence without warmth, and you risk looking cold.
The magic happens when you hold both warmth and competence in balance.
Why Charisma Belongs in Your Headshot
When I left the corporate world and picked up my camera, I started noticing something: the same “charisma gap” I saw in leadership was showing up in people’s headshots.
Think about the fact that your headshot is often the very first impression someone has of you. Before you say a word in a meeting, before you send a single email, your photo has already spoken on your behalf.
And here’s what charisma adds to that silent introduction:
Approachability + credibility in seconds.
Authenticity and trust, which matter even more for entrepreneurs and leaders.
Confidence without arrogance, which is a subtle but powerful distinction.
Memorability, because people don’t just remember what they see, they remember how it made them feel.
When charisma shows up in a headshot, the photo isn’t just a picture. It’s a conversation.
How to Pose for Charisma
The good news? You don’t need to guess what charisma looks like in front of the camera. I coach clients through simple posing cues that bring it out naturally. A few exaggerated examples for illustration:
The Leader → Tall posture, slight torso angle, direct gaze, small smile. Strong competence with just enough warmth.
The Connector → Gentle lean in, relaxed shoulders, authentic grin. High warmth with easy confidence.
The Visionary → Looking just off-camera, thoughtful expression, open body. Energy + credibility.
The Playful Pro → Mid-laugh, hand adjusting a jacket or sleeve, eyes engaged. Warmth and energy that feels alive.
Every client has a different balance that fits their story. My job is to find it and bring it out.
My 3-Step Approach to Charisma
I used to think charisma was a rare trait that some people were born with. But what I’ve learned is that charisma can be expressed, practiced, and yes, captured in a single image. I like to help my clients to convey the right message through a combination of engagement, direction, and mis-direction techniques. Here’s an example of that in 3 images.
In the example above we start with (1) a fairly neutral direct and subtle smile. Subtle things you might not notice but are important - a small smile, a slight squint of the eye, and chin position to maximize jawline. For some images and professionals- this might perfect. But for those of us wishing to convey more charisma we need to go through the arc of mis-direction to achieve relaxation that conveys the warmth and competence of the individual. I use a combination of engagement, direction and ultimately (2) mis-direction (aka distraction, humor etc) to get my clients to a mindset where they are thinking less about the fact that they are being photographed and more about being (3) their true charismatic self in the moment.