Wheeler L. Baker: Planning

Wheeler L. Baker is President of Hargrave Military Academy. Explore interesting quotes on planning.
Wheeler L. Baker: 44 quotes0 likes

“Leaders and managers do not have to risk lives, profit, or mission failure because they failed to plan for a crisis. Do not allow yourself to be put on the defense by changing circumstances. No one enjoys wasting time, but don't be reluctant to call a meeting just to discuss something that might happen. Remember the oil filter theory. Rather than disobey your instincts and proceed with the status quo or embark on a risky course, invest some planning time in your business. Control your risks. Identify important decision points. Forecast potential crisis. Apply the six hour model. A little time spent discussing your business is never wasted.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 74

“When an individual's or group's basic survival is threatened, stress becomes tremendous, and productivity drops. Under these conditions a manager's ability to reason and maintain a proper focus on developing plans or solutions to a crisis is extremely difficult.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 14

“Pressure can also make managers act out of character. Degrees of panic will cause a normally good manager to lose self-confidence and focus. Under stress, even a good plan can be abandoned.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 16

“There is absolutely no reason the command group can not pick the five most probable contingencies or missions that your unit could be called on to execute today. Identify those missions and then schedule a crisis planning session for each mission. The training and preparation value of doing this is tremendous.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 76

“Police, federal agency and military operations are fraught with the potential for catastrophic disaster. The nature of operations routinely conducted by counter narcotic agents, special weapons and tactics units, special response teams, and mlitary special operations units leave no room for error. A drug bust in the wrong house or a botched hostage rescue situation will be on the evening news with some senior official hemming and hawing and wishing he'd planned better. Once that occurs there is no defense. The best that can happen is to convince everyone that it will not occur again because of all the "lessons learned, and hope that there is a crisis somewhere else that will take your place in the media's attention. THIS IS A LOSING STRATEGY.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 12

“We have all heard the saying "the man with a plan is king." I believe a man without a plan is just a pawn to circumstance and embarking on a losing strategy.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 16

“Plan in the real world.”

Wheeler L. Baker

Source: Crisis Management: A Model For Managers (1993), p. 77