Most people love magic. It piques our inquisitive side, as we try to figure out how the master magician creates the impossible from the improbable. In the process, we are mesmerized to the point of amazement. Even though we know it's an illusion, we're drawn to the spectacle over and over, inquisitively entertained.
The answer lies not in the speed of the magician's hands, but within his preparation for the trick.
You see, the real magic is not in the illusion itself, but rather in the process that the magician follows to make it all possible.
First there is a promise, a foretelling of something great and extraordinary that is about to happen.
Then there is an inquisitive communication approach that draws in the members of the crowd, all of whom are wondering what is about to happen, all of whom want to be there to witness it, to share in the spectacle of the moment, to participate.
Then the magician delivers what they came to see or not see.
The Power of a Common Cause
At the point of convergence, all the magician did was create a common cause. He brought diverse people from all walks of life together to do what they all wanted him to do, to show them what they all wanted to see and to deliver what they all expected would be delivered.
The audience members willingly invested their time and resources, emotional and otherwise, to make this event happen. The magician knows: If there is no audience, there is no magic.
Common causes make it all possible.
Leaders are experts at identifying and creating common causes to encourage employee engagement, improve productivity, increase quality of products and services, lower incident rates and costs and deliver the promises made to their customer and stakeholders.
Leaders are skillful conjurers of purposeful common causes.
Your ability to identify and create common causes sets you apart from the pack. It establishes you as a thought leader within your organization. It grows your network into a powerful and resourceful force. It aligns you perfectly with success.
In the end, the magician's quick hands are not his greatest magic trick. It is his ability to bring a diverse group of people together for a common cause and to deliver on a promise – a promise that exceeds expectations to the point of amazement, admiration and innovation.
Do the same: Be innovative, and you will supercharge your career and that of your organization. Most will wonder why you always seem to have the magic touch at showtime.
Dare to think differently.