“And when you finish the project, how will that make you feel?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” responded Mitchell. “The project will be over, I don’t know how I will feel.”

“Well, Mitchell, if you did know how you would feel, what would it be like?”

Mitchell struggled a moment. “I guess I would feel relieved that the project was over. I would feel a sense of accomplishment. I would feel more confident that I could do another project like that and be successful.”

“Good.” I said, watching Mitchell’s eyes. He was glad that I finally stopped pressing. “Here is the payoff. When you are painting a picture of that project in the future, don’t forget about the emotions that you will feel. Don’t forget about the emotions that the team will feel. Those emotions are the support you will need when the project goes through its tough times. Talk about it with your team now. Include those emotions in your picture of the future.” -TF