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defended by planning and doing the plan, no matter how crude. The order,
"Repel the invader who is storming the south wall," is the result of
observation and planning no matter how brief or unthorough. Getting the
south wall defended occurs by some system of administration even if it only
consists of sergeants hearing the order and pushing their men to the south
wall.
A company with heavy debts has to plan even if it is just to stall off
creditors. ^.nd some administrative system has to exist even to do only
that.
The terrible dismay of a young leader who plans a great and powerful new
era only to find himself dealing with old and weak faults, is attributable
not to his "foolish ambition" or "lack of reality" but to his lack of
organizational know-how.
Even elected presidents or prime ministers of democracies are victims of
such terrible dismay. They do not, as is routinely asserted, "go back on
their campaign promises" or "betray the people". They, as well as their
members of parliament, simply lack the rudiments of organizational know-
how. They cannot put their campaign promises into effect not because they
are too high flown but because they are politicians not administrators.
To some men it seems enough to dream a wonderful dream. Just because
they dreamed it they feel it should now take place. They become very
provoked when it does not occur.
Whole nations, to say nothing of commercial firms or societies or
groups, have spent decades in floundering turmoil because the basic dreams
and plans were never brought to fruition.
Whether one is planning for the affluence of the Appalachian Mountains
or a new loading shed closer to the highway, the gap between the plan and
the actuality will be found to be lack of administrative know-how.
Technical ignorance, finance, even lack of authority and unreal planning
itself are none Of them true barriers between planning and actuality.
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Thus, we come to the exact most basic steps that comprise
administration.
First is OBSERVATION. From beginning to end observation must serve both
those in charge and any others who plan. When observation is lacking, then
planning itself as well as any and all progress can become unreal and
orders faulty and destructive. Observation in essence must be TRUE. Nothing
must muddy it or colour it as this can lead to gross errors in action and
training.
Next is PLANNING itself. Planning is based on dreams but it must be
fitted to what is needed and wanted and what men can do, even with
stretched imaginations or misgivings. Planning has to be targeted and
scheduled and laid out in steps and gradients or one will be laying
railroad tracks that pass through oceans or boring tunnels in mountains
that do not exist or building penthouses without putting any building under
them to hold them up.
The essence of planning is COMMUNICA TION and the communication must be
such that it can be understood and will not be misunderstood. For unless
those who oversee and those who do know what their part of the plan is,
they cannot execute their share and very well may oversee and do quite some
other action, leaving a monstrous gap and even a structure that ate up
their time and funds but now has to be torn down.
The next is SUPERVISION and supervision is dually needful. It serves as
a relay point to which plans can be communicated and from which
observations as reports can