ABSTRACT
Leadership is often synonymous with a title, position, stature, power or control. In mid-career years, leaders continue to learn and start to realize the fruits of their labor. These successes may be operational wins, promotions, stretch assignments, opportunities to present their best practices in industry venues and the like. At various stages of the career journey, leaders will face challenges that result in loophole experiences. Leaders will have to tread lightly, choose wisely and discern growth opportunities from loopholes that require a Houdini moment of escape. When leaders are faced with an antagonist sponsor, they must choose the response wisely. If leaders run away, they will stall their career journey. If they over aggressively resist, they may be disrupted in or from their current role. Even in the face of opposition, if leaders add value, produce results, learn, grow and impact the industry body of knowledge, they become illusionists and escape the danger.
