Kerry Anne Hoffman’s Post

When I am on a plane, I love indulging myself in reading a book from start to finish. I often bring a book from a Little Free Library with the intent of passing it on to someone when the plane lands. The book becomes one less thing to carry, encouraging me to focus on finishing so I can lighten my load. Oftentimes, though, I also have a movie I have already seen playing on the screen. I am not listening to the dialogue. I just enjoy looking up every once in a while and seeing something familiar. Recently, I put on The Devil Wears Prada, in preparation for the sequel. Although the acting, the clothes, and the New York of it all make the movie enjoyable, I tend to disagree with the overall message. Perhaps Andie felt that working for a demanding executive wasn't moving the needle for her own writing career, I thought her experiences were bound to shape her career in a meaningful way. To quit after a year, being somewhat "too good" for the job, didn't feel right to me. Putting that all aside, though, I put down my book to record this quote that came up in the captions: “Just tell her it can’t be done. You’ll have to come up with a Plan B.” “Well, this is Miranda Priestly we are talking about. There is no Plan B. There is only Plan A." Andie is trying to get the Harry Potter books, even though they haven't been released yet. If she didn't get them, she was going to get fired. I love a Plan B because I am a Project Manager who specializes in planning for the unknown. Not because I am a psychic and not because I am a pessimist, but because I am a realist. My Project Management style is one grounded in reality. The secret to the unknown is that it is known. When you are planning for Plan A, there is a high likelihood that Plan B is needed. You may not know how Plan A will let you down, but you know it is bound to have at least one point of failure. You may not know what's unknown, but you know the unknown is coming. I am not sure what Andie's Plan B could have been in her situation. Perhaps she could have found a different, not-yet-released book to procure. Maybe she could have had a special note written by the author, noting that they would receive copies in the near future. And maybe Plan B was just preparing to be fired, knowing another job was around the corner. If you are working for a Plan A only person, know that it's a red flag. Plan A's are great. But Plan B's, and your ability to execute them, can be even better. #devil #prada #Project #plan