Chapter 7 : Organized planning

Think and Grow Rich Chapter 7 Organized Planning explains why planning is one of the most important parts in any business. With this summary you will learn how to approach it and how to plan successfully.

Summary : Organized planning

Rebuilding plans

This part covers how to build the practical plans before mentioned:

• Ally yourself with a master mind to ensure the viability of the action plan.
• Decide what compensation will be given to members of master mind in return for their cooperation.
• Ensure continuous meetings and make sure harmony prevails among the master mind.

No individual has sufficient experience or skills to ensure the accumulation of a great fortune without the cooperation of other people.

Trial and error

If the plan you adopt doesn’t work successfully, replace it with a new plan until one does work. By an iterative process based on trial and error is how Nature is built, and one must understand this. It is a natural process to ensure all existing things are “in harmony”.

Temporary defeat is when your plan doesn’t work. This
only means your plan is not sound enough. You just have
to try until you find the right one, the definite plan

Keep in mind organized planning means also planning failure. Know that temporary defeat will arise and that you will need to overcome it with a modified plan.

No man is ever whipped until he quits (in his own mind). In fact, no follower of this philosophy can reasonably expect to accumulate a fortune without experiencing temporary defeat.

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 7 : Organized Planning

This quote has to be written on a visible place and read every morning and every night.

Attributes of leadership

There are two types of leadership: by consent and by
force, being the first one much more effective. In fact,
leadership by force will not endure.

The following qualities are important leadership attributes:

• Unwavering courage.
• Self-control.
• A keen sense of justice.
• Definiteness of plans and decision.
• Habit of doing more than paid for.
• Pleasant personality.
• Sympathy and understanding.
• Mastery of detail.
• Willingness to assume full responsibility.
• Use the principle of cooperation.

On the other side, there are some important causes of
failure:

• Fear of competition from followers.
• Selfishness.
• Authority.
• Disloyalty.

The 30 major causes of failure

There are mainly thirty reasons for failure. An important exercise is to go over them on a frequent basis and see which ones you check in order to avoid them. You can also do it with someone who knows you for contrasting.

To avoid this, there is a self-analysis questionnaire for
inventory. The most important questions are the following:

• Have I delivered service of the best quality?
• Have I delivered service in the greatest quantity and eliminated procrastination?
• Have I worked in perfect harmony?
• Have I been persistent?

Have you found in yourself any causes of failure?

The capital

In an organized capitalistic country one should pay attention to two things:

• One must adapt to the capitalistic structure as much as possible.
• The more capitalistic a country is, the more opportunities it offers.

Capitalistic society guarantees every person the opportunity to provide useful service and to collect riches in proportion to the value of the service. The system gives everyone his right, but denies something for nothing. The Law of Economics was passed by Nature. It cannot be repealed and it denies the idea of getting without giving.

Analysis

The summary of Chapter 7 introduces 3 ideas which are easy to understand but also easy to forget.

The first one is about realism. When you create a plan, it has to be realistic. Although it is likely the first plan is not the definite one, you have to try to make your best to create a realistic one. Don’t be afraid of seeking professional and expert advise.

Second important idea is about modifying your plans. A plan is a project in continuous evolution. You don’t have to stick to the initial plan forever, but instead you should change it many times until it fits the world. Trial and error is key, and the earlier you understand this the earlier you will start trying and the earlier you will end up with a minimum viable product (MVP). Don’t spend too much time in developing the perfect plan or the perfect product because you will be wasting your time.

The third point of this summary is about introspection and self-awareness. A plan might be great. But a plan must also be executed and carried out. If the person who is supposed to carry it out is not ready, the plan will be a failure. Organized Planning also means looking at yourself, analyzing yourself and being ready to change yourself in order to get you ready to carry out the plan you want to.

Finally Chapter 7 contains some words on capitalism. Don’t be afraid of capitalism. Capitalism is competitiveness but also diversity. In a capitalistic country there is so much room to be successful your own way. Be ready to think different and find the opportunity!

Go to Chapter 8 or read our 5-minute summary of the book.