What do Pulp Fiction and the Iconic Mr. Wolfe have to do with Project Management / Recovery? More than you think…

Introduction 

Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, “Pulp Fiction”, is a treasure trove of Project Management, and in particular, Project Recovery best practices. Let’s look at how Mr. Wolfe, the “Fixer”, dealt with a situation or “project” which was heading toward the abyss at breakneck speed…

Situation 

For those of you that haven’t seen the film, I’ll take a moment to set the stage. Our two protagonists / anti-heroes, Jules and Vincent had a major “mishap” while transporting a person in a car. This mishap led them to call on a friend, Jimmie, whom they believed could provide help with this problem. However, Jimmie’s wife (Bonnie) was due home in a matter of minutes, and if they didn’t “recover the project”, the likely results were divorce, prison or death, in that order of severity. Thus, they realized that they needed outside help. Jules thus beseeched their “Project Sponsor,” Marcellus, who realized the gravity of the situation and dispatched Winston Wolfe, aka “The Wolf," to handle “The Bonnie Situation."

Project recovery action #1:

Empower the leader unambiguously. Marcellus empowered Mr. Wolfe. Between his “Subject Matter Expert reputation” and the empowerment by the Project Sponsor, Mr. Wolfe now had responsibility and authority, even before he arrived at the scene. When considering the different types of power one can wield, Mr. Wolfe had almost all of them, but the key “powers” he wielded were Referent, Expert and the judicious use of Reward and Coercive. Clearly, Mr. Wolfe had a lot of leverage going into the “Bonnie Situation." 

Achieving Situational Awareness 

Project Recovery Action #2: Achieve Situational Awareness, quickly. Mr. Wolfe made sure to obtain an overview of the situation and the players from the Project Sponsor, prior to arriving on the scene.  When he arrived on the scene, he quickly identified the players, established his credibility, and made sure that everyone knew that as long as there was a problem, he was in charge. Additionally, he described the time-bound nature of the problem, and motivated the team: “Let's get down to brass tacks, gentlemen. If I was informed correctly, the clock is ticking, is that right, Jimmie?” (1). He also let them know about his leadership style, as well as the rationale for that style: “If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this” (1).

Project Recovery Action #3: Assess the resources at hand. Mr. Wolfe quickly sized up Jules and Vincent (the “Project Team”) in terms of both skills as well as mindset, and then laid out a near-term task list with responsible parties, and provided clear expectations and “acceptance criteria”. He also ascertained which key materials were available to solve the near-term problems related to the condition of the car: “Now, Jimmie, this looks to be a pretty domesticated house. That would lead me to believe that in the garage or under the sink, you got a bunch of cleaners…” (1). He didn’t assume that the cleaning supplies would be there, he asked and confirmed.

Understanding the Complications 

Project Recovery Action #4: Get the bad news up front. Mr. Wolfe knew how much people hate to provide unfavorable details – the kind which rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune times, and he wasn’t going to have that happen in the middle of his recovery effort. In this case, driving a car with dangerous cargo from point A to point B was an integral part of the operation, which prompted Mr. Wolfe to inquire (rather curtly): “About the car, is there anything I need to know? Does it stall, does it make a lot of noise, does it smoke, is there gas in it, anything?” (1)

Using Rewards to Motivate Critical Behaviors

Project Recovery Action #5: Use rewards effectively. One of their near-term deliverables was to make the car “invisible” to law enforcement, and they were going to need linens, and a lot of them, from Jimmie. Because Mr. Wolfe was aware of Jimmie’s competing priorities (his wife’s impending return from work and the issue at hand), it was important for him to use rewards in an effective or even extravagant way to get the outcome he required: “…would furnish you with a whole bedroom set which your Uncle Marcellus is more than happy to do. I like oak myself. That's what I have in my bedroom. How about you, Jimmie? You an oak man?” (1). Although he could have coerced Jimmie into providing what he wanted, in this case using Reward Power was far more effective and helped maintain his other sources of power.

Project Recovery Achieved 

Mr. Wolfe’s leadership, Jules’ and Vincent’s focused actions, and Jimmie’s additional help enabled them to make it from Jimmie’s house to the demolition site unscathed - a successful project recovery. As for rewards, Mr. Wolfe’s reputation was burnished with his Project Sponsor (and he got to go to breakfast with Raquel…), and Jules and Vincent survived and earned the privilege of being in several more Pulp Fiction vignettes.

Let’s now recap the skills and mindsets needed and the actions taken which made this all come together, when it was not at all clear that it would come together at the outset…:

Skills / Mindsets 

·       Positive, can-do mindset

·       Focus on the desired outcome

·       Leadership, motivation and persuasion

·       Attention to detail 

·       Awareness of negative contingencies / risk management

·       Understanding of power and authority

Actions Taken 

·       The Project Sponsor

o  Assigned an outside resource with skills and perspective

o  Empowered the new resource

·       The Wolf

o  Built rapport / gained respect of the team

o  Assessed team skills and mindsets

o  Provided motivation

o  Took an inventory of resources and availability

o  Gave clear and concise instructions and expectations

o  Assessed and mitigated risks

o  Used rewards and coercion as needed

·       The Team

o  Realized they needed additional, specialized help, and asked for it

o  Fell in line

o  Focused only on the near-term tasks and deliverables

o  Delivered the results

…And here are Jules and Vincent bidding farewell to Mr. Wolfe, after a job well-done:

Mr. Wolfe: “Stay outta trouble you crazy kids.”

Jules: “Mr. Wolfe, I just wanna tell you it was a real pleasure watching you work.” 

Vincent: “Yeah, really. And thank you very much, Mr. Wolfe.”

Mr. Wolfe: “Call me Winston.” (1)

(1)  Bender, L. (Producer), & Tarantino, Q. (Director). (1994). Pulp Fiction. United States: Miramax Films

Film Credits: I’d like to thank Quentin Tarantino (Director / Jimmie), Harvey Keitel (Winston Wolfe), Samuel L. Jackson (Jules), John Travolta (Vincent) and Ving Rhames (Marcellus) for their talent and inspiration…