6 Leadership Principles From The Old TestamentNäide

Underrate your plan.

Jonah learns that circumstances and powers stronger than he are in control. When his plans to go to Tarshish are consumed by the gaping mouth of a giant fish, in the end he accomplishes God’s very different plan.

The leadership principle here is not to abandon the planning process, but rather to build flexibility into it. Sometimes an operational plan needs to get tossed altogether because of new circumstances. Even successful organizations need to change over time. 

Jonah’s lesson has been proven over and over. It’s difficult to predict where we’ll be in the future. At the same time, the two extremes are equally foolish: operating without a plan, since “we can’t control anything anyway”; and enforcing a plan at all costs because “we just aren’t executing well enough.” 

We succeed when we set out with the understanding that the plan could change at a moment’s notice. Market forces, health issues, personnel dilemmas, and unforeseen economic downturns often strike suddenly. 

Since the future defies description, our plans should never be above getting dumped in the ocean.