Leading People to See Beyond the Obvious

I was watching a show with my younger daughter about magicians, and I had an ah-ha moment: magic isn’t really about the trick. It’s about the experience.

Think about it. A magician doesn’t simply shuffle cards or pull a coin from behind your ear. They build tension. They direct your focus one way while preparing the reveal another. They craft the moment where the ordinary suddenly feels extraordinary — where you gasp, laugh, or wonder if the rules you thought were fixed… might not be so fixed after all.

"Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it." -Roald Dahl

That’s the real power of magic: it stretches our sense of what’s possible. Even when you know it’s been designed, you leave believing differently than you did before.

And isn’t that also the work of leadership?

Not to create illusions — but to create experiences. To guide people beyond what’s obvious, familiar, or rational, and to show them the possibility hiding in plain sight.

• Sometimes it’s the sleight of hand of reframing a problem so a solution suddenly appears.

• Sometimes it’s the misdirection of shifting attention away from fear or limitation and onto the opportunity just ahead.

• Sometimes it’s the reveal — creating a moment where someone sees their own strength, resilience, or potential in a way they hadn’t believed before.

THE LESSON:

As a leader, you are the magician. Your role isn’t to dazzle with illusions, but to create experiences that expand belief. To help others see that what felt impossible was always within reach — it just took a shift in perspective to reveal it.

The question is: What kind of magic will you create? Not by tricks, but by transforming the way others see themselves, their work, and what’s possible.

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-Complacency stagnates. Reframe standard. Explore endless possibilities. Live inspired.-