FollowtheLeader.indd

LEADERS ARE PLANNERS

Principle:

“Short and long-term goals are the practical

stepping-stones to the fulfillment of a leader’s

life-vision.”

Goals are both short-term and long-term. Once again we can see a good
example of this in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. As we have
seen, His life had one consuming purpose and passion – which was to
die for the sins of the world. According to prophecy, that could only
take place in Jerusalem. As He was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill the
ultimate purpose of His life, He said:

“...I will drive out demons and heal people today and

tomorrow and on the third day I will reach My goal. In

any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and

the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside

Jerusalem!” (Lk. 13:32-33).

The ultimate goal that He came to earth to fulfill was “... to give His life
a ransom for many” (Mtt. 2:28); “...to save what was lost” (Lk. 19:10);
“...to destroy the works of the devil” (I Jn. 3:8) – not just to “...drive
out demons.” To fulfill His life’s purpose, He had to go to Jerusalem and
die. But on the way to the cross, He would “...preach...teach...heal...
drive out demons” (Lk. 4:14; 40-44; 5:17; 6:6; 8:1, etc).

Goals need to be as simple as possible. When plans and goals get too
complex and complicated, they are seldom followed – either by the leader
or the follower! There is a humorous KISS maxim that says: “Keep It
Simple Stupid!” Simplicity is a sign of genius – not complexity. The person
who cannot reduce complicated ideas to their simplest form has not yet
fully understood it himself. The simpler the plan the better the plan,
and the more people who will follow. Conversely, the more complicated
the plan, the fewer the people who will “catch the vision” and follow the
leader. Einstein said: “Whatever God does, He does in its simplest form.”^3
That’s a profound statement for perhaps the smartest man of the Twentieth
Century! Understanding this principle of simplicity, Fred Smith wisely
reminds leaders: