Movie of the Week: The Replacements

Our Movie of the Week puts a perfect wrapper on our theme this week: New Starts and New Endings.

If you are just tuning in this week, take a quick look at our Quote of the Week:  Time for a New Start? 

For how-to resources, we offered:   10 Lists Leading to New Endings and Simple Question. New Ending.

Here are two more ways to start now to make a new ending – demonstrated in these two clips from the movie, The Replacements.

Here’s an overview in case you haven’t seen it.  The Washington Sentinels go on strike and the team’s owner calls a coach  out of retirement to put together a team to finish out the last four games of the season.  The replacement team includes a convenience store guard,  two ganster rapper brothers, a former sumo wrestler and a convict on a work-release program.  It’s a new start of sorts for these individuals and for the team as a whole.  And of course there are troubles along the way.

So here are the two clips.  Warning:  Preview for language.  Then grab the popcorn and enjoy these clips.  This one from the locker room after a loss. 

  This one in a jail cell where the team has been incarcerated after a bar room brawl.

How can you put these to work for you?

Both of these strategies: 

  1. asking the team about their fears 
  2. injecting humor

will most likely provide a boost to morale and productivity.  And help you bring about a new or different ending.

With your team, introduce a discussion on fears in the same way the coach did.  You can do this with or without showing the first movie clip.  I’ve done it both ways and it’s effective either way.  Showing the movie clip in advance is a fun way to break the ice.

As for the second movie clip…showing it and then saying, “OK – let’s do the macarena!”, is not the way to go.   Instead use it as a reminder to yourself or to a group of managers about the power of humor.  And the power an individual can have over the mood of a group.   And then – let the fun bubble up.  For more on this, see Spur-of-the-Moment Nonsense.

copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Hey Jan,

    I remember when this movie came out but all I remembered was Keneau Reeves playing the quarterback.

    The video on fears was terrific and the movie really fit nicely with your “new endings” theme for the week.

    Mark

  2. Hi Mark

    It’s a fun one isn’t it. These two scenes in particular are so funny – but include helpful tools as well.

    Thanks for reading and watching!

    Jan

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