Guest speaker brings magic to VCU

By Cassie Williams Jones

“Abracadabra,” a word so often associated with silly magic tricks, now has a more profound meaning to many at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Inspirational magician Andrew Bennett spoke to nearly 1,000 staff members of VCU and the VCU Medical Center on Sept. 24 and 25 at a professional development event hosted by the VCU Staff Senate.

With a keynote address titled “The Magic in You,” Bennett discussed transformation and steps to creating change and building a transformative environment.

“Organizations don’t change,” Bennett said. “There are so many processes, structures and policies in place that it makes change difficult. But people do – it’s people who can change those processes, structures and policies.

“Good organizations are interested in helping their people become better employees, but great organizations are interested in helping their people become better people.”  

As a way of teaching participants about personal and organizational transformation, Bennett explored three acts of magic: appearance, disappearance and restoration.

Appearance, Bennett said, is not about pulling things out of thin air, but about revealing things about oneself that were there along. He said it is important to reveal what really matters about our work, and remember what drew us to that work to begin with. That, he said, will keep us inspired.

While one of his most frequently asked questions as a magician is, “Can you make my boss or spouse disappear?” Bennett suggests disappearance is not about eliminating people or other causes of stress from your life. Instead, it’s about learning to deal with the anxiety that those people and things bring and understanding strategies to make those anxieties disappear.

Finally, restoration refers to shifting one’s story to see life experiences in a new light. According to Bennett, seeing the deeper meaning of those things in life that cause us pain may lead to restoring our outlook and reframing our story.

“All of this can be integrated into our days without taking more time,” Bennett said. “These types of changes are built on small wins. Use words that nurture your vision and make choices to use different words or to tap into your powers.”

All of these lessons from Bennett tied back to one word – “abracadabra,” which in its origin language of Aramaic means “what I speak is what I create.” This single word highlighted the message Bennett drove home to listeners about the power of words and thoughts.

Growing up on cherry farm with his grandparents in Beulah, Mich., Bennett was a magician by the age of 7, and had his own local television show at 14. After experiencing much tragedy in his adolescent life, including the death of his mother and sister in a car accident, his father’s abandonment and the suicide of his “hero,” his grandfather, he grew up to be a corporate executive, who later became a national motivational speaker. Through a mix of storytelling, humor and magic, he now coaches individuals and organizations to be creative forces.

“A lot of what gets in our way is ourselves,” he said, noting how he had to overcome grief and sorrow and use his own powers to reframe his personal story.

Held at the Richmond Convention Center, the keynote address was followed by breakout sessions facilitated by VCU and VCU Health System leaders on topics such as leadership, ethics, teamwork and career growth at VCU. This free event was the first major in-house professional event of its kind designated for VCU and VCU Health System staff members.

Bennett addressed things that things that he sees VCU already doing well, including the university’s strategic plan, Quest for Distinction. He described Quest as ambitious and “transformative with a capital ‘T’.”

“We named this event ‘The Magic in You’ because we want all those who attend to tap into their skills and talents - their ’magic,’" said Katherine Poarch, president of the VCU Staff Senate. “Additionally, some of the magic is to remember why we wanted to work here at VCU or VCU Medical Center in the first place, because we genuinely care about student success and healing patients. Regardless of our roles in the organization, we all play a part, and this event recognizes that everyone needs to learn and grow.”

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