In January, Mark Carney stood on the Davos stage and delivered a speech that cut through global noise with unusual force.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t theatrical.
It didn’t rely on outrage or empty optimism.
And yet, it landed.
Commentators dissected the geopolitics. Speechwriters admired the craft. Headlines pulled out the sharpest lines.
But most leaders missed the most important question.
Why did this speech work psychologically, emotionally, and rhetorically in a moment of global instability?
To answer that, we need to move beyond classical rhetoric labels and look at the speech through a research-backed lens: the 12 Charismatic Leadership Tactics identified by researchers at the University of Lausanne.
These tactics explain how leaders communicate clarity, confidence, and conviction, especially when certainty is in short supply.
What follows is not a political analysis. It is a leadership one.
The Context: Why This Moment Matters
Carney was not speaking in calm waters.
He was speaking into geopolitical fragmentation, eroding trust in institutions, rising authoritarian confidence, and leaders hedging when clarity was required.
In unstable times, how leaders speak matters as much as what they say.
People are not just listening for policy.
They are listening for moral clarity, psychological safety, and a sense that someone sees reality clearly.
Carney’s speech delivered that deliberately.
CLT #1: Contrasts. Creating Moral Clarity
“We live in an era where the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer.”
This is a classic contrast, one of the most powerful charismatic leadership tactics.
It works because it simplifies complexity without dumbing it down, forces the audience to make a value judgement, and turns abstract systems into human consequences.
Great leaders do not just describe the world.
They frame it.
Contrast gives people a moral foothold when the ground feels shaky.
CLT #2: Three-Part Lists. Making Ideas Stick
“A rupture in the world order. The end of a pleasant fiction. The beginning of a harsh reality.”
The human brain loves patterns, and three-part lists are among the most memorable.
This is not stylistic flair. It is cognitive science.
As my mentor Dr Rich Allen often says, “If they can’t remember it, they never learned it.”
Three-part structures improve recall, increase perceived authority, and make ideas feel complete.
Carney uses this early to anchor his entire message.
CLT #3: Expressions of Moral Conviction. Naming the Tension
Carney repeatedly highlights a central contradiction.
We claim to believe in a rules-based order while quietly abandoning it when it becomes inconvenient.
This is moral conviction, not moralising.
He does not shame.
He implicates.
That distinction matters.
Charismatic leaders articulate what people sense but struggle to say aloud. When you do that, trust follows.
CLT #4: Stories and Analogies. Letting the Audience Connect the Dots
Carney references Václav Havel’s story of Soviet shopkeepers displaying slogans they did not believe.
He never says, “World leaders are being hypocritical.”
He does not need to.
Stories bypass defensiveness. They travel straight to the unconscious.
This is why storytelling is not decoration. It is delivery.
CLT #5: Metaphors. Speaking to Instinct, Not Just Intellect
“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
That line travelled fast for a reason.
Metaphors compress complex ideas, activate emotion, and make abstract power dynamics visceral.
This one taps straight into survival psychology.
Leaders who rely only on logic inform. Leaders who use metaphor mobilise.
CLT #6: Conveying Confidence. Calm, Not Bombastic
One of the most overlooked aspects of the speech was not the language.
It was the restraint.
Carney did not perform urgency. He embodied certainty.
No theatrics. No hype.
In volatile environments, calm delivery signals competence. It tells the nervous system, “Someone sees this clearly.”
CLT #7: Repetition. Signalling Seriousness
Carney uses deliberate repetition.
“It means… It means… It means…”
Repetition is not redundancy.
It is emphasis.
It tells an audience, “This matters. Pay attention.”
Statesmen repeat themselves. Entertainers avoid it. Know which role you are in.
Beyond the CLTs: Advanced Leadership Moves at Play
Carney also deploys several high-level techniques that sit around the CLTs.
Borrowed authority
He references history, philosophy, and shared memory. He never stands alone.
Status without aggression
He speaks as if he has the right to say this without demanding it.
Implication over accusation
He lets audiences arrive at uncomfortable conclusions themselves.
This is persuasion without force.
Why This Matters for Modern Leaders
Most leaders do not fail because they lack information.
They fail because they hedge when clarity is needed, soften language when conviction is required, and prioritise safety over sincerity.
Carney’s speech is a reminder.
In unstable times, how you communicate becomes the strategy.
Not louder.
Not angrier.
Clearer.
Calmer.
More grounded in values.
Final Thought
Everyone is analysing what Mark Carney said.
The real lesson is how he said it, and why it worked.
In unstable times, leaders do not need louder voices or stronger opinions. They need clarity, conviction, and the courage to name reality as it is.
Charisma is not magic.
It is learnable.
And right now, it is one of the most important leadership skills we have.
- Article thumbnail photo credit: Rolling Stone Québec
