Leadership is A Magic Trick

Ever feel like leadership is part logic, part performance, and part mystery? You’re not wrong. In this post, I share why leading people is a lot like performing magic — and why simply knowing what to do isn’t enough. The secret? Learning how to stay present and perform under pressure.

VIDEO

“Have you ever thought that leading people is kind of like a magic trick?

I’ve been around the performing arts for most of my life, and I’ve always had a respect for the craft of performing magic.

Knowing vs. Doing

To be a good magician, you need three things:

1. The trick (or illusion): What’s the mechanism that makes the impossible seem possible? This is the intellectual part.
2. The execution: Can you perform the illusion so it looks effortless and draws no attention to itself?
3. The story: The narrative you build around the illusion to entertain and engage. (We’ll set that part aside for now.)

Here’s the kicker: it’s easy to know how a trick works, but it’s very different to perform it. I know the secrets to a lot of magic tricks, but if you put me on stage right now I’d bomb. Why? Because I haven’t practiced the execution. I haven’t trained myself under pressure.

So what does this have to do with leadership?

Sometimes poor-performing leaders know the trick.

If you ask them in a calm, hypothetical setting how to handle a tough employee conversation or a conflict, they’ll give you a great answer.

But when it’s real and the pressure is on, do they actually take that action?

Often, no. And it’s not because they’re bad leaders. It’s because they’re human.

When the nervous system gets overwhelmed (when you’re surprised, frustrated, or anxious) you may not do what you know is right. Like when you tell yourself not to get flustered during an argument, but emotions hijack your brain.

Here’s the takeaway:

If this sounds like you, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad leader.
But it does mean you need to train for the moment. You need to:

• Learn how to regulate your nervous system
  (through meditation, therapy, coaching, or whatever works for you)
• Practice uncomfortable leadership moments, like giving hard feedback or navigating professional conflict, so they don’t rattle you when they matter most.

My own leadership skills were forged through mistakes. Uncomfortable, awkward, stomach-dropping mistakes.

But that’s just being human.

And learning from those moments, embracing the discomfort, getting better at the execution, is what will make you a great people leader.”

Want to help your team or leadership audience move from knowing to doing? Check out my keynote, This Might Get Awkward, perfect for building confidence in uncomfortable leadership moments.