The way of the magician

On March 21, 2010, in Leadership plus, by Neculai Fantanaru

Integrate yourself in the circle of performance, by canceling the natural limitations imposed by the dimension of your talent.

A hidden voice tells me that it was more than a coincidence my re-encounter with the master magician. He still had that sharp look, which seems to be reading deep down your soul. I could see in him gathered the entire human knowledge, all its secrets, you could see from a distance that he was a man with the formidable power to change things, an unusual man who guessed everything, who knew everything, who penetrated the most intimate thoughts of all people.

We talked a few long hours, the magician being pleasantly surprised that I remembered so much about him. Curious by nature, I put him a lot of questions, maybe in this way I could find the secret of his profession, the secret of a magician. And I found out.

The mystery from behind the glance of the scene

The magician looked at me full of confidence, he lowered his voice so nobody around us could hear us talking and said to me:

- A magician who does not have the skills to arouse the curiosity of the spectators and influence them by his own will, going into their minds, cannot be successful in his career. Most viewers believe in miracles and impossible things, which can be made, so, that is why, in order for the act to be perfect, he must temporarily suspend reality. Otherwise, the audience won't like any illusion, they will prove to be unimpressed, and will applaud without enthusiasm.

He made a short pause, examined me with his eyes and mind to see if I am really paying attention to him, then continued:

- I'm not a magician, but an actor playing the role of a magician. I am an artist who learned how to realize special effects by his art. The key to my success lies only in knowing the physical phenomena underlying the optical perception, in the dexterity of my hands, in the speed and accuracy I perform every “magic” trick. The more I maintain the illusion, the more “the magic” is considered better.

Are you a blind performer?

Leadership is a “game” based on rules and skills, where only those truly deserving will be able to obtain exceptional results and will be able to advance to a higher level. It is a “game” in which you must look for perfection even if you will never be able to reach it. It is a “game” in which, if you do not practice continuously, you can fail, despite the excellent performancthat you have proven up to the present. Do not forget that you cannot leave for chance any aspect of your “show”.

Just as the feeling without intelligence is blind, so you become blind and the quality of your performance suffers if you accept that natural limitations imposed by the dimension of your talent. You can always be better than you think you are. The decision to go to the limit will help your potential to reach a level where others are not able.

Have you made an inventory of your skills? Can you do things that others are not able to do? What is the trait that sets the tone for your performance? Do you show a genuine care for the elements that increases your leadership ability?

Or, somehow you are heading to an area for which you do not have inclinations? Just as the intelligence without feeling is cold and has no dynamic force, so your leadership potential will not have a dynamic force if you have not created to yourself a lever that would increase to the maximum your efficiency - once the lever is your commitment to excellence.

Is there a way to become a master of leadership? Yes, there is a way, but it is not simple at all. In leadership, achieving a craftsmanship requires a constant training, a lot of effort and much sacrifice, because the talent is not enough. You may be endowed with a special talent, with rare virtues, and altogether be surpassed by someone more vivid and productive. Perseverance and serious effort always beat talent. Therefore, in order to raise your level of performance, in order to become a consummate master, you must practice your talent daily!

The way of the magician is nothing else but the way you must follow in leadership in order to keep up the tempo and to increase your performances. In a world like ours, where there is a fierce competition, only those who will follow the way of improvement, development of dexterities and, generally, continuous improvement in all aspects, will succeed in making themselves noticed in a special way!

David Copperfield, the most famous magician of all times, the one who made the Statue of Liberty to disappear, best captured this truth: "The real secret of magic lies in performance."

Performance gives you value. How do you amplify your performance?

Integrate yourself in the circle of performance, by canceling the natural limitations imposed by the dimension of your talent.