Contents ContentsPrev PrevNext Next

Letters to a Young Manager


Play the Movie Forward, #322
LTYM > Decision-making



Dear Sophie,
***
Thinking through the choices, you may find the "movie questions" useful. Imagine you are in the first ten minutes of a movie; how does it play out over the next two hours? Imagine the climax, the ending, the resolution. What does that look like, far beyond the current scene?

All current scenes are part of a larger drama or comedy. What's the next scene, and the next, and the next? Imagine it! Play the movie forward; think it through to the conclusion. How does your audience feel leaving the theater? How do you feel?

Often, producers will test different endings to the movie, to gauge audience reaction. Can you imagine different endings to your movie? What's the worst ending you can imagine? The best ending?

Often we are in the thick of the opening scene and we make choices without thinking through how they may play out. Don't do that. Play it forward before you decide. Make the adjustments now before it's too late.
***
Best,
Ed
________________________

.

Takeaways:

Imagine how the rest of the movie plays out, not just the current scene

Discussion Questions:

1) Can you imagine a project as a movie as much as your own career? What are the differences?
2) Isn't this "crystal balling" at its worst? How does a plan or strategy differ?

For Further Reading:





© Copyright 2005, 2024, E. G. Happ, All Rights Reserved.