INTRODUCTION TO THE MASTER MIND 69The really great leaders of the world, however, have been provided
by Nature with mind chemistry favorable as a nucleus of attraction for
other minds. Napoleon was a notable example of a man with a magnetic
type of mind that had a very decided tendency to attract all minds with
which it came in contact. Soldiers followed Napoleon to certain death
without flinching, because of the impelling or attracting nature of his
personality, and that personality was nothing more nor less than the
chemistry of his mind.
COMMENTARY
Hill is here creating his own definition and explanation of "charisma, 11 which orig-
inally meant a kind of religious power or leadership that made certain individuals
unusually magnetic. The subject fascinated religious and political historians,
psychologists, and other social scientists for many years. For a century after his
death, because of the power he apparently was able to exert on those around
him, Bonaparte was a prime example of a charismatic leader. When Hill first wrote
Law of Success, Napoleon Bonaparte held the same kind of interest for many
people that Hitler holds today.The Making oj the Master Mind
No group of minds can be blended into a Master Mind if one of the
individuals of that group possesses an extremely negative mind. The
negative and positive minds will not blend in the sense here described
as a Master Mind. Lack of knowledge of this fact has brought many
an otherwise able leader to defeat.
Any able leader who understands this principle of mind chemistry
may temporarily blend the minds of individuals into a mass mind, but
the composition will disintegrate almost the very moment the leader's
presence is removed from the group. The most successful life insurance
sales organizations and other sales forces meet once a week, or more
often, for the purpose of ... what?