Magic Tricks for Great Leaders

When my nephew was growing up he loved magic and learned how to be a magician....at the age of 13-14 he could bamboozle a whole room of adults with an array of tricks. He left us inspired, entertained and intrigued. I always felt there were some lessons for business

M= Magicians are not born they "become great" through practice, from studying their skill. Great leaders constantly develop their thinking, their coaching skills, communication techniques and understanding of the world. Just how you cannot produce magic tricks by reading a book, you cannot lead without practice and learning.
A= Audience participation. Magicians draw people in, by incorporating them into their show. Great leaders "draw in" employees by including them in the strategy, the discussions of ideas, talking about the future - by including them, they feel part of the show.
G= Get close to the audience. The great magicians do not hide away from the audience. They have close ups, they walk around, they spin the props around......Great leaders do not hide in their offices. They are constantly talking to their employees, they are visible in the company, they are open in their thoughts to show they have nothing to hide.
I= Ingenuity. Magicians do not do the same show all their lives. They continue to surprise the audience, they change their style, their content...they keep the audience guessing. I think this is true for great leaders. They find new ways of communicating the message, of explaining the goals, of keeping people engaged with the vision.
C= Cherish the values. The magic circle has boundaries, people are only admitted to the circle if they adhere to the values - like not sharing how the tricks work. I think leaders can learn from this approach. Cherish the values of the company, choose people that can live by those values...when those values are compromised then deal with it quickly and strongly.

Great leaders create a magical corporate environment that engages employees - they inspire people to achieve what seems the impossible. They understand that they need to inform, entertain and engage their audience.
In reality there is no magic to leadership, it is about treating people like the human beings that they are!
In reality when you treat people like human beings, magic happens...they are engage and believe the impossible is possible. Spread a little magic today...

Comments

[Mark]

Hi Anna,
Have you seen the Feedm8 from The goodblogs.I have signed up as it seems a good idea.
I thought i would contact you today as i am not sure what state i will be in after Sunday....I might need weeks of therapy.

Cheers Mark

[Don Frederiksen]

Anna,

You have done it again. Another great post that gives me with new insight.

Thank you for sharing the "tricks of the magician" and the insight that this is not really magic but deliberate action.

Don
www.leadquietly.com

[Susan Flemming]

Great analogy and one to keep in mind.

[M.A.Sadad]

Hi Anna,
I have read your post.I think it is a good idea.Thank you.