“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” – Thomas Edison
“First weigh, then wager.”
A German figure of speech: “Erst wiegs, dann wags.” Translation: First weigh, then wager.
Bismarck on planning
“Ich gewöhne mich nachgerade, nicht Pläne über acht Tage hinaus zu machen, denn der liebe Gott lässt mich doch nicht in seine Karte sehen, und tut ohne Zweifel gut daran.”
“I’m getting used to not making plans for more than eight days, because the good Lord doesn’t let me look at his map, and it’s no doubt a good idea to do so.”
Otto von Bismarck (1815 – 1898)
“stays different”
“Es bleibt alles ganz anders!” A German figure of speech. Translated: Everything stays completely different!
Der Kluge baut vor
Vorbereiten. To prepare. To anticipate a situation; to be enabled to complete a task; to do the work needed beforehand; to develop oneself.
The Germans place great value in being well prepared. They gather information early, complete the initial steps, anticipate what will come. They believe that being prepared saves time and effort, and allows them to make the best decisions.
Der Kluge baut vor. The intelligent one prepares early. Those who are not prepared, who, for example, forget to buy certain things when food shopping, or cannot respond to questions in a meeting, have only themselves to blame. To be well prepared is in Germany not voluntary, not a nice-to-have, it is expected. Germans are under pressure to think things through, to write things down, to do their homework.
The purpose of good preparation is to get the work done faster and better. One needs no more than a shopping list when it is clear what meal will be cooked. To prepare for a meeting is not difficult, provided one knows what will be discussed.
In Germany, most people have a concrete idea of how things should be, of what they plan to eat, of what they will discuss in a meeting. Germans not only make plans, they live according to them.
Planung. Vorwegnahme.
Wikipedia in German defines Planung as: Planning describes the human capability or activity of thoughtful – or thought-anticipation – of actions that appear to be necessary in order to reach a goal.
Die Planung beschreibt die menschliche Fähigkeit Fähigkeit oder Tätigkeit zur gedanklichen Vorwegnahme von Handlungsschritten, die zur Erreichung eines Zieles notwendig scheinen.
Planning – another definition
Definition: Planning is the fundamental management function, which involves deciding beforehand, what is to be done, when is it to be done, how it is to be done and who is going to do it. It is an intellectual processwhich lays down an organisation’s objectives and develops various courses of action, by which the organisation can achieve those objectives. It maps out exactly, how to attain a specific goal.
Hildegard on planning
“As the fire carries the flame within itself, so it is necessary for the powers of the rational man to have a work before him.”
Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179), German mystic, abbess and scientist, Catholic saint
“Wie das Feuer die Flamme in sich trägt, so ist es für die Kräfte des vernunftbegabten Menschen notwendig, ein Werk vor sich zu haben.”
goals of others
“Planlosigkeit erreicht spielend Ziele – andrer.” In English: “A lack of plan easily achieves goals – of others.”
Manfred Hinrich (1926 – 2015) – German philosopher, philologist, teacher, journalist, author of children’s songs, aphorist and writer.
Planungssicherheit
The German term Planungssicherheit conveys the concept of planning security; ability to plan reliably over time. It is culturally significant because last-minute changes are frustrating and unprofessional in the German business culture, especially relating to negotiations.