What Is a Powerful Personality and How To Develop One

Introduction:

Have you come across individuals that take center stage wherever they go, even when they don’t speak much? Do you not wonder about the secrets of such powerful personalities? Do you ever want to cultivate such a personality for yourself?

Powerful personalities announce themselves without trying to seek attention. They range from the gracious and heartwarming personality of Ted Lasso, from the TV show of the same name, to the commanding and monstrously intelligent presence of Dr. Gregory House, from the exceptional TV Drama House MD. Certain features in these personalities remain common, while others change from person to person. 

In this blog, we will explore what a powerful personality is, and how you can go about developing it. We will briefly look into each of the elements that go into making such a personality, and how you can incorporate those elements in your own personality.

What is a Powerful Personality?

A powerful personality consists of a set of traits and qualities that are harmoniously balanced within the individual, and that make them stand apart in social and professional settings. An individual with a powerful personality carries herself gracefully when in public, and doesn’t get shattered even in the quiet of privacy. Some of the traits that generally make up such personalities are as follows (remember that these are just general traits, and in no way comprehensive):

• Confidence:

Don’t confuse it with arrogance and boastfulness. A quiet confidence in one’s own abilities and a self-assurance that is well grounded, makes individuals stand apart. Confidence forms a cornerstone of powerful personalities. 

• Resilience:

If you want to talk about a robust personality, you cannot do without resilience. A person who knows how to take setbacks, doesn’t drop his head when confronted with a failure and can work even in the midst of crises, is a person whose personality speaks for itself. In all the great powerful personalities of history, resilience is almost always there. 

• Authenticity:

Polonius, in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, advises his young son who is going out into the world that, ‘to thine own self be true’. It has become a cliche now, but still everyone talks about it. What does it mean to be authentic, to be true to oneself? It means to never forget your natural inclinations, your inner compass, and to stay aligned to it as much as possible. People with powerful personalities remain authentic, even in situations when it might not serve them well. But, it always does so in the long run.     

• Emotional Intelligence:

People with powerful personalities have great emotional intelligence. They demonstrate empathy, compassion, willingness and ability to understand others, and the skills to navigate complex social situations. Emotional intelligence is key in both the personal and the professional sphere. 

• Vision: 

Such people are always driven by an inner necessity that doesn’t seem to make much sense to others. They can’t help but be that way because of their clarity of vision and purpose. Despite facing self-doubts, like every other person on this planet, they never seem to bow down to it. 

Also Read: Professional Networking: The Art of Building Meaningful Connections

How to Develop a Powerful Personality?

Having looked at the elements that go into making a powerful personality, we will now turn to things that you can do to cultivate it for yourself. It would require effort, yes, but the returns on it will last a lifetime. 

• Continuous Learning:

Try to keep learning, wherever you find the opportunity. It’s not just about learning from books or lecture courses, but also from real life professional encounters and personal struggles. Be proficient in your technical abilities that are required for your work. All this would make you more confident and well-grounded, thus contributing to your goal of a powerful personality.  

• Self-reflection:

Try to instill a habit of self-reflection in your daily routine. Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and see where you are lacking in your professional work. Find out instances in your life when you lost control of yourself, and see to it that they never happen again. Reflect on your purpose and direction, and align yourself to it. All this would help you to live and work authentically.   

• Active Listening and Public Speaking:

Most people don’t understand the concept of listening while talking. They conflate speaking with talking and are quite satisfied with whatever they spoke, never mind what the other person is saying in response. As you must have guessed, don’t do that. Powerful personalities are equally proficient at listening as they are at speaking. They converse well because they know that conversations require complete attention, even when you are not speaking. Practice listening and speaking simultaneously. 

• Developing Empathy and Conflict Resolution skills:

Always practice putting yourself in other people’s shoes, trying to see situations from their perspective, understanding their feelings and thought process. Develop your conflict resolution skills so that you don’t lose your temper on instances which demand your patience. This would contribute to your emotional intelligence, which is an essential part of a powerful personality. 

• Be Honest and Practice Humility:

Try not to pretend what you are not, especially when it’s convenient for you to do so. Authenticity begins with transparency. Never project more than what you are, and try to practice humility. These are very subtle things, but they matter in making you a robust character who is grounded well enough to not be easily shaken. Also, honesty and humility is immensely attractive.  

Also Read: Self-Esteem: Feel more Confident in Yourself

Learn with DT Evolve:

So you’re looking to cultivate a powerful personality for yourself, but are not sure where to look for resources? Well, DT Evolve has got you covered. A person with a powerful personality doesn’t give oneself away to anger, and if you want to cultivate one for yourself, you must learn to tame your anger. In the course, Taming Your Anger, you will learn how to recognize and manage your anger before it takes over your actions and your life. You will also learn strategies to deal with a person who is angry, and all the skills that are required for such interactions. Here’s a link to the course, Taming Your Anger.  

Conclusion:

In this blog, we explored what a powerful personality is, and briefly touched on some of the traits that make up such a personality. These included confidence, resilience, authenticity, emotional intelligence and vision. We then talked about the ways you can cultivate a powerful personality and these included learning continuously, doing self-reflection, active listening and public speaking, developing empathy and conflict resolution skills, and being honest. If you put in the effort and do what’s required, you can shape your personality in the same order.