He Had a Plan

From Jesus, CEO, by Laurie Beth Jones:

A franchising consultant once told me, "A good idea is worth one dollar. The plan for implementing that idea is worth a million dollars.”


A good leader has a plan. Jesus had one. He gave clear instructions to his staff members regarding how they could attain their desired results. He also had received a plan that he was working on implementing. He spoke often about how something was either part of or not part of the plan. He did not claim to know all the details, but he certainly saw the big picture and acted on a day-to-day basis according to his inner instructions.

What good does it do to stir up a crowd if you do not give them a constructive outlet for their energy? So few people have plans that people will flock to almost anyone who comes up with a vivid sketch of how something should or could be done.

One of the soundest pieces of advice I received when starting my company was: Plan your work, and work your plan. When I wasn’t feeling particularly bright or courageous, I just did what I had written on my list when I was feeling bright and courageous. Sometimes part of the plan was just showing up. In fact, more than one successful businessperson has confided to me that having a plan is the primary reason for their success. They show up when nobody else does, and they keep showing up. That is part of their plan.

A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple pictures. Just because a group of people has a bunch of boards, hammers, and nails does not mean that they are building a house or even anything recognizable. Sometimes leaders think they are doing their job just because there is a lot of hammering going on. As a society we like the sound of hammering, but we are uncomfortable with the sound of thinking, which is silence.

Sometimes a plan can start with one simple objective. The civil rights movement was constructed around singular objectives. Sometimes they were as simple as: Make sure blacks do not have to sit in the back of the bus. Equal rights is an intangible idea. It is hard for people to grasp a concept that does not have pictures attached to it. Being forced to sit in the back of the bus creates a picture that people can get excited, angry, or motivated about. The desire to change the picture evolved into a plan.

Jesus had a plan.