God’s system works

I have been training my plantation manager on a system that I came up with to organize our many projects, schedule our employees, (and him), and control our costs as I would in any business. I developed my system over a period of nearly forty years, and all modesty aside, if the system is carefully followed, it works very well. I am even writing a software package now to assist him even more. (Not to mention being able to sell it elsewhere.)

As testimony to the effectiveness of my efforts, he has had excellent success so far and our myriad of projects are all getting accomplished right on schedule and under budget. He was telling me yesterday how much he enjoys using my system and that he is now even using it in his personal life. He accomplishes more and more each day in a systematic, logical, and organized manner. In short I am running my hunting plantation as efficiently as any of the other businesses that I have owned.

I have a friend who owns a plantation nearby that told me that plantations could not be run like a business. He told me in a dejected tone, “Basically Bob, it is impossible. The farm hands that know how to run a plantation are just too computer illiterate and are not business people. When I first bought my plantation I tried my utmost to run it like a business, but it is hopeless. In fact I have a degree in cost accounting and it drives me crazy not to know my costs, but that is just how it is in this world. I could not make it work and neither will you. To this day I still cannot even pull up something as basic as a P&L statement and there are no controls. Finally, I just gave up.”

Hmmm Gave up? That makes me shudder to hear that word. Plantations are multi-million dollar entities and require the use of business management techniques just like any other business. Make no mistake about it, I’m going to run mine like a business and I will not be giving up on my employees running it like a business.

My manager is probably not much different than his in that he does not have much of a formal education, but he has a good attitude, is willing to learn and try my system out, and so far seems to be doing just fine.

It has been my experience that generally speaking the people who manage these plantations are not well educated at least with formal education, but that have a wealth of “common sense”, real life experience, and are very intelligent. Like any businessman in a perfect world I would prefer someone who is intelligent, has formal education, experience, and common sense as an employee. If I had to choose just one between common sense and education, I would take common sense over formal education every time. I have had far too many well-educated clowns working for me who felt the world owed them everything because of their degrees, but basically did not have enough common sense to come in out of the rain.

I am not anti-education mind you, I think every person should get a college degree and/or advanced degrees if at all possible. I just maintain that people can succeed with ot without it if they work hard and smart enough.

In any case I want someone with a great attitude working for me, someone with a strong work ethic, with a strong desire to learn, that will carefully listen and learn from my years of experience, and then go out there and get it done. If they are willing to work, listen, learn, and implement, then I can teach virtually anyone to succeed.

I am always perplexed when otherwise intelligent people put people down because they are uneducated. It happened to me when I entered the work force. I only had a high school education, but I worked hard and smart. When I worked for others I was precluded from attaining a very top position for no other reason that it was assumed that since I was uneducated that I could not achieve. I started my own companies and proved otherwise.

I tried my utmost to base all of my businesses upon biblical principles. I often try to envision what Jesus would do if He faced a certain situation or another. I think Jesus would give His employees an opportunity to blossom. No doubt He would patiently work with them and offer them the training that they need to succeed. He would admonish them when they got off course and praise them when they achieved great success. It would of course be up to them to take advantage of the opportunity that He has provided and they would need to carefully follow His system in order to achieve tremendous success, but I know that He would give all an equal shot at it.

Come to think of it, isn’t that what Jesus does? He affords us all an opportunity to work for Him and He gives us the tools that we need in the Bible and in being available to listen to our prayers. Occasionally I strongly believe that He even introduces us to others who will no doubt be instrumental in building our character and helping us to strategically accomplish our mutual goals.

I sincerely believe that all of us can achieve great and even miraculous things by following God’s system. You have to believe in Him (faith), and in yourself and then you must have the great attitude and work ethic. Success can be yours. Try it you will like it and claim the verse below as your own. God cannot lie and means every word of it.

Phil. 4:13
I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.