When The Sixth Sense came out it was a cultural phenomenon. Typically during the second week of a movie’s release ticket sales drop by 40%, but the fifth week after this movie’s release was even bigger than its opening week. This proved it was gaining momentum even after it set a record for opening weekend sales in August.
Like millions of others I got ahold of the DVD and watched it to see what all the buzz was about. I was so intrigued by the movie that I chose to watch the extra features. There was an interview with the film’s writer and director M. Night Shyamalan which you can watch here. What he said both shocked and frustrated me, but has stuck with me to this day.
In the interview he discussed a five minute scene which he described as very important because it perfectly embodied the purpose of the whole movie. But he cut it! Why in the world would he cut such a key scene that was clearly one of his favorite parts?! He went on to explain that he came to realize that it just wouldn’t fit and would cause confusion for the audience, thus taking away from the overall impact of the movie. He was willing to sacrifice a part that was important to him for the greater good of the movie as a whole.
As I’ve helped brainstorm and implement major projects I’ve always had that in the back of my mind. Often as projects develop they begin to change. Sometimes they even seem to move away from their original purpose. This isn’t always bad. It’s possible that through the discovery phase as different team members give input, that new information is discovered which is better than the original information. What does that mean? Sometimes we have to be willing to let go of our favorite, even key parts, for the greater good of the project as a whole.
Often as projects are developing I’ll ask myself: “Am I holding on to this aspect of the project because I like it or because it’s what’s best?” When you realize that your favorite part detracts from what’s best I challenge you to choose humility and be willing to give it up for the greater good. If not it could lead to the loss of the effectiveness of the project or even it’s death.
What times have you had to bail on what you thought was best because it no longer was a good fit in the overall plan?