What a World-Class Magician Taught Me About The Boardroom
From the stage to the Fortune 500: how to 'light up the brain' and use the neuroscience of illusion to lead with impact.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Alex Moffat, a man who occupies a unique space at the intersection of professional magic and corporate leadership. www.alexmoffat.au
It was an illuminating conversation!
Alex spent decades as an award-winning magician before transitioning into high-level leadership roles at Fortune 500 financial firms. Today, he uses his knowledge of neuroscience and illusion to help leaders navigate change. I found his perspective on how we process information and lead others to be remarkably insightful.
The primary value of Alex’s approach lies in how he uses the mechanics of magic as a metaphor for human connection and cognitive function. In a world where leadership advice can often feel like a rehashing of the same tired models, Alex offers something fresh. He demonstrates how we can ‘light up the brain’ to foster creativity, overcome bias, and manage the constant disruptions of the modern workplace.
Core Concepts of Neuro-Leadership
During our discussion, we delved into several frameworks that challenge the way we typically approach our working day. The most prominent ideas included:
The Three Stages of an Effect: How information is perceived, remembered, and eventually retold.
Novelty and Reward: The two primary drivers that hold human attention.
The Multitasking Myth: The cognitive cost of switching between tasks.
Parkinson’s Law: The tendency for work to expand to fill the time we allocate to it.
The Wisdom of Crowds: Using collective intelligence to set realistic and ambitious goals.
Lighting Up the Brain: Detail and Elaboration
One of the most fascinating parts of our chat was Alex’s explanation of why magic actually works as a learning tool. When we witness something unexpected, our brains move between ‘System One’ thinking (intuitive and fast) and ‘System Two’ thinking (analytical and slow). This creates an ‘aha moment’ or an insight moment. Alex uses magic to trigger the same emotional response that leads to lasting retention of a message.
The Drivers of Attention Alex noted that to hold an audience’s attention, one must provide novelty and reward. Our brains are hardwired to detect new things in our environment and seek out some form of benefit. If a leader stands up and delivers a dry, predictable presentation, the brain switches off. By introducing a story, a visual metaphor, or an unexpected data point, you provide the novelty required to keep your team engaged.
The Cognitive Cost of Multitasking We spent considerable time discussing the dangers of multitasking. Research from the University of London suggests that heavy multitasking can drop a person’s functional IQ by up to 15 points. This is equivalent to the effect of losing a full night of sleep. Alex explained that our prefrontal cortex acts like a battery; it has a limited supply of energy for high-level decision-making. When we ‘flick’ between tasks, we drain this battery rapidly. In Enhanced Leadership, I argue that as AI begins to remove the friction of repetitive tasks, there is a risk that we will fill that gained time with even more frantic multitasking. We must resist this urge to maintain our cognitive clarity.
Parkinson’s Law and the Power of Reward We also explored Parkinson’s Law, which states that a task will grow or shrink to fill the time available for its completion. Alex suggests a practical way to combat this: set a shorter deadline than necessary and promise yourself a reward at the end. For example, if you have an hour between meetings, challenge yourself to finish a report in 50 minutes. The reward could be something as simple as five minutes of quiet time or a fresh coffee. This creates a sense of achievement and prevents the procrastination that usually fills the ‘buffer’ time we give ourselves.
Practical Applications for Leaders
For those of you leading teams, Alex’s insights offer a way to move beyond the ‘command and control’ style of leadership. Here are some ways to apply these concepts:
Control Your Calendar: Do not let others dictate your entire day. Build in ‘focus blocks’ where you turn off notifications and avoid multitasking. This protects your ‘cognitive battery’.
The Wisdom of the Crowd: When setting targets, ask your team members for their individual, anonymous estimates of what is possible before discussing it as a group. This prevents the most senior person in the room from ‘anchoring’ everyone else’s opinions. As I mention in my book, the best leaders are often the ones who speak last.
Create Lasting Impressions: Think about the ‘three stages’ of your communications. What do you want your team to see now? What should they remember tomorrow? Most importantly, what story do you want them to retell to others next week?
Practical Applications for Coaches
If you are a coach working with clients to improve their performance, these neuro-leadership principles are invaluable:
Highlight the Multitasking IQ Drop: Use the ‘8-year-old child’ analogy to help clients understand that they are not being more productive by answering emails during webinars; they are simply operating at a lower cognitive level.
Gamify Productivity: Encourage clients to use Parkinson’s Law by setting micro-deadlines. This can help those struggling with procrastination to find a sense of ‘flow’ and immediate reward.
Use Metaphor and Story: Just as Alex uses magic to make a point stick, coaches should use vivid stories to help clients anchor new habits. An emotional connection to a concept is far more powerful than a simple list of instructions.
Conclusion and Call to Action
Our brains are remarkable, yet they are easily deceived and easily exhausted. By understanding the neuroscience of attention and the illusions we tell ourselves about productivity, we can become more effective and human-centred leaders. Alex Moffat’s journey from the stage to the boardroom reminds us that communication is the most vital skill we possess.
I highly encourage you to explore this topic further. You can listen to the full conversation with Alex on the Level Up Leadership podcast.
Let us stop multitasking and start leading with focus.
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