The Power of a Plan

I invite you to consider the power of a plan. Without a plan, there would be no cell phones, and we wouldn’t have astronauts working in the International Space Station. We wouldn’t have the story about the Spartans attempting to prevent the Persians from passing through Thermopylae. The Willow Run Plant wouldn’t have produced B-24 Liberator bombers during World War II. You wouldn’t be reading this blog post.

Some of this information is from my 2022 book, Get it Scheduled:

Military Planning

You will never read about a military operation starting with, “We executed this mission without a plan, and everyone understood their role without ever discussing it.”

We executed this mission without a plan, and everyone understood their role without ever discussing it.

– Get it Scheduled

On June 6, 1944, the long-awaited landing in northern France began. The Allied leaders did not execute this mission without a plan. More than 156,000 Allied soldiers were supposed to land on five beaches covering a 50-mile stretch. Those beaches were code-named Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. Can you imagine what this would have looked like without a well-thought-out strategic plan? World War II would have been entirely different.

The invasion of the 50-mile stretch of Normandy’s beaches was divided into two parts, which consisted of moving tens of thousands of Allied troops while providing gunfire support as part of the plan for the invasion. After significant planning changes and a weather delay, D-Day moved from June 5 to June 6, 1944. This change of schedule meant they had to update their plan. Why is this crucial information? For the invasion of Normandy to be successful, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, and his staff needed to ensure their plan was solid. Then, the division commanders, brigade commanders, battalion commanders, company commanders, platoon leaders, platoon sergeants, squad leaders, team leaders, and individual soldiers would receive the brief (plan).

If they did not understand their responsibilities, soldiers could have been injured or killed, and the overall mission could have failed. Therefore, soldiers should always back-brief their leadership on the plan. This process validates that everyone fully understands the mission and their role in it. Thankfully, the Allied leaders proved that planning works correctly despite navigating multiple changes, and they successfully cleared northern France of German forces.

You are about to embark on the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle.

General Dwight Eisenhower

Even if you have never served in the military, this example should help illustrate the importance of planning military operations. Your personal and professional life should be structured using the same concept. I believe this contributes to why people are not fans of Mondays. They view the day from the perspective of how other people can influence it. In other words, they place themselves in the passenger seat. Why? Because a How to Win Monday plan does not exist. If having a good understanding of what you wanted to accomplish on Saturday and Sunday worked for you, why turn it off Monday through Friday? Learn to value all your time.

If you want more examples of effective planning and how it impacted the outcome of the American Civil War, I recommend the Vicksburg: Animated Battle Map. You will learn how General Ulysses S. Grant led his assault on Vicksburg.

Military Leaders Mentioned

• General Dwight D. Eisenhower, nicknamed Ike, was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and achieved the five-star rank as General of the Army.
• General Ulysses S. Grant was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As commanding general, he led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865.

Book Recommendation