The first President of The Magic Circle was a splendid chap called David Devant. He had a well known saying:
“All done by kindness”
There is a wonderful Devant poster featuring this quote on display at The Magic Circle headquarters in London. If you ever get a chance to visit, I thoroughly recommend it. Obviously you will have to wait until after the lockdown…
The Best Business Attitude
Devant was talking about show business, the magic business in particular, but “All done by kindness” is a fantastic mantra for business in general.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that kindness is the most valuable attitude you can have in business.
It feels appropriate that this is the week I start my mini-series on kindness in business. This is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK and the Mental Health Foundation have chosen kindness as the theme for the week.
Practical Magic
To my mind, kindness is not an airy-fairy concept. It is intensely practical. Kindness is an attitude, kindness is a choice, it is a determination to put yourself out for the good of others.
How does this translate into a business context?
It might seem a bit “soft” – surely business is hard-nosed, cut-throat, winner takes all.
Maybe it was, once? Or maybe that is just a myth?
It’s a Kind Magic
What is important is that business is all about relationships, and kindness supercharges relationships.
In this series I will explore what kindness might look like specifically in the areas of Sales and Leadership.
I will explore the Magic of Kindness:
Moving people
Attuning to people
Giving to people
Inspiring people
Connecting to people
The More You Do It…
I can tell you from experience that the more you practice magic performance, the better you get.
The same is true of the Magic of Kindness.