New research validating the charisma-intelligence link

Experimental results show Aristotle was right—the symbolic communication employed by charismatic leaders requires a high level of intelligence. CORD Associate Director Ulrich Jensen and colleagues from ISM University of Management and Economics and HEC Lausanne (University of Lausanne) have conducted the first large, independent test of the correlation between objective intelligence and charisma. Their findings validating the charisma-intelligence link, just out in The Leadership Quarterly, suggest we should understand charismatic leadership as much more than a superficial personality trait or the "warm glow" we feel about the prospect of trustworthy and competent governance. 

Read the article "Charisma is a Costly Signal" in its entirety here (https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1jg3g3kWko0Sg6).