Meeting Magic - how Managers Becomes Magicians

You wouldn't fall for a cheap parlor trick, would you?
What if I told you - you do!
Every day. In the meeting room. Not once, but several times per hour: In some organizations, the terms "show" and "performance" has become indistinguishable.
Being seen as the one waving the magic want becomes more important than tangible progress. That dysfunction isn't the result of bad intent. It's the consequence of the system's very design.

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When the Magic Show is the Job

When we say that management becomes a parlor trick, that sounds far-fetched. After all, we're in business, and we're doing serious business. But the concern isn't an individual's behaviour. It's how the system works, and what it rewards.

Those who master the techniques outlined below will usually be seen as "leadership material." Those who don't - regardless of their competence - are often considered unfit for promotion.

Is it then surprising that the higher the stakes rise, the more likely we'll experience a magical performance?

Eventually, the magic show becomes second nature. Not because it delivers. Because the system is designed to reward it.

The Five Techniques of Management Magic

Misdirection: Pay attention here!

It was a management steering for a major program. Suppliers had to account for their progress. When the numbers didn't add up, one supplier was excellent at locating causes elsewhere. The guided management's attention by casting doubt on the other teams - Did they deliver on time, in quality, the agreed deliverables, as scoped? Their approach drained immense resources for comprehensive reporting that had to be set up purely to answer their seemingly inconspicious questions. Nobody realized the slipping schedule until budget was cut.

Palming: Concealed Options

We sat in the boardroom of a large corporation. Today would be the day of decision for a large strategic initiative. Everything had been prepared, the slides were polished. We had it condensed down to 3 options. A, B, or hybrid. It took less than a minute to get approval for option A, and the CEO never batted an eye. What nobody told him: there was another option with less risk and higher ROI - but: it would have meant renegotiating vendor contracts. That conversation never happened.

Forcing: It was never a Choice

A contractor was hired to deliver a business-critical project. On paper, they had full freedom: Choose your team. Choose your tech stack. Build your plan. Name your budget.
A dream, right?

But all those choices had already been made. Quietly, implicitly, by the organization’s cultural norms. The contractor had to learn by trial and error what the system would tolerate. It was a relentless uphill battle against a fortified castle.

Loads: Delayed Consequence

"We can do this and meet the timeline, but ..." "Approved. Thank you." The CEO cut in. No time for the 'but.'

That “but” held a real warning: the shortcuts and the corners that were cut. Taking the heat off sales and customer service, putting it into tech where the customer couldn't see it.

Solutions deferred until there would be enough room to breathe. Which never came.

Eventually, the company faced what it had loaded into the plan: Technical debt worth 20 years of net revenue. Each decision made to meet the next milestone. Together, they painted the business into a corner.

Switching: Invisible Goal Drift

It was a routine weekly jour fixe. The CTO asked for updates on their flagship modernization initiative. The original goal? Clear: Replace legacy systems that drained time and cost too much.

The program head presented a modified timeline, with a 3-month extension. The CTO swiftly approved.
Did they realize that user onboarding had silently gone over board?

Mastering the Illusion

Over time, managers get really good at this. You learn how to shape meetings, manage perceptions, direct attention.

That's what you get in a system that values action over outcomes, and visibility over impact.

It's not "bad management" - it's rational behaviour as long as it gets you further!

And the bottom line?

But what if you’re the founder, the business owner - or a shareholder? Someone with skin in the game?

Then the illusion is your enemy. You know it won’t protect you. It's not even bubble wrap: it's cotton candy. Sticky. Hollow. And it becomes messy as soon as you touch it.

If you're the one whose future is on the line, you need traction, not action. You need to know what’s real, where it breaks, and what causes that.

VXS Doesn’t Break the Show. It Makes It Real.

VXS isn’t concerned with tricks. It simply shows you what might hurt you.

It doesn’t try to expose illusions. It gives you tools to turn the performance into progress.

No curtain. No script. Just forward movement.

Try VXS.
No tricks. No pretense. No guesswork.
Just the end of the illusion. And the beginning of what works.