--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good leader has a plan that consists of…" description: "\"A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple pictures. Just because a group of people has a bunch of boards, hammers, and nails does not m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/laurie-beth-jones-25106_boards_a-good-leader-has-a-plan-that-consists-o_2263411.jpg" --- # A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple… ![“A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple pictures. Just because a group of people has a bunch of boards, hammers, and nails does not mean that they are building a house or even anything recognizable. Sometimes leaders think they are doing their job just because there is a lot of…” quote by Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/laurie-beth-jones-25106_boards_a-good-leader-has-a-plan-that-consists-o_2263411.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/laurie-beth-jones-25106_boards_a-good-leader-has-a-plan-that-consists-o_2263411.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/laurie-beth-jones-25106_boards_a-good-leader-has-a-plan-that-consists-o_2263411.jpg) > “A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple pictures. Just because a group of people has a bunch of boards, hammers, and nails does not mean that they are building a house or even anything recognizable. Sometimes leaders think they are doing their job just because there is a lot of hammering going on. As a society we like the sound of hammering, but we are uncomfortable with the sound of thinking, which is silence.” [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leadership requires thoughtful planning, not just activity; visible effort without clear purpose is meaningless. **In simple terms:** Leaders need clear purpose, not just busy work. Key Takeaway Focus on purposeful action. Themes leadership planning meaningful work Mood inspirational analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project management - team leadership - organizational change - creative endeavors Key Concepts strategy vision efficiency Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate productive effort from noise? - What steps ensure actions align with clear goals? A Different Perspective Busy work can mask lack of direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building A House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-a-house/) [Good leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-leader/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [Bobby Martin has another project. He's building a house. He's out there at 6 o'clock in the morning hammering nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/bobby-martin-has-another-project-he-s-building-a-house-he-s-out-there/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Good leaders are focused, directive, and inspiring... in other words, purposeful. People want to look up to leaders, not because they think they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldoni/good-leaders-are-focused-directive-and-inspiring-in-other-words/) [John Baldoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldoni/) > [I think that in the sexual act, as delightful as it can be, the very physical part of it is, yes, a hammering away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/i-think-that-in-the-sexual-act-as-delightful-as-it-can-be-the-very/) [Louise Berliawsky Nevelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/) > [Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-august-riis/look-at-a-stone-cutter-hammering-away-at-his-rock-perhaps-a-hundred/) [Jacob August Riis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-august-riis/) > [The hammers must be swung in cadence, when more than one is hammering the iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giordano-bruno/the-hammers-must-be-swung-in-cadence-when-more-than-one-is-hammering/) [Giordano Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giordano-bruno/) > [“But now he stops hammering, his back still to me when he yells, "Would you stop staring at me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/but-now-he-stops-hammering-his-back-still-to-me-when-he-yells-would/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [I was used to football supporters hammering me and I thought my name was Graham Potter-Boo at one point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-potter/i-was-used-to-football-supporters-hammering-me-and-i-thought-my-name/) [Graham Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-potter/) > [If you really want to go after something, you have to keep hammering at the stone whether or not the first hit or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-dinwiddie/if-you-really-want-to-go-after-something-you-have-to-keep-hammering/) [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-dinwiddie/) > [When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-nothing-seems-to-help-i-go-look-at-a-stonecutter-hammering-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At times, we, as coaches, try to shove guys as square pegs into round holes and keep hammering away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/at-times-we-as-coaches-try-to-shove-guys-as-square-pegs-into-round/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [ \[Donald\] Trump is most comfortable when he is hammering something. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-todd/donald-trump-is-most-comfortable-when-he-is-hammering-something/) [Chuck Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-todd/) > [No wonder men got impervious to superficial pain, I thought. It came from this habit of hammering each other incessantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/no-wonder-men-got-impervious-to-superficial-pain-i-thought-it-came/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I don't want to lose too much of the mystery by hammering every detail to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/i-don-t-want-to-lose-too-much-of-the-mystery-by-hammering-every/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [“You bend the nail But keep hammering because Hammering makes the world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-young/you-bend-the-nail-but-keep-hammering-because-hammering-makes-the-world/) [Dean Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-young/) > [“Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collins/autists-are-the-ultimate-square-pegs-and-the-problem-with-pounding-a/) [Paul Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collins/) ## More by Laurie Beth Jones > [Perhaps the true mark of a leader is that she or he is willing to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/perhaps-the-true-mark-of-a-leader-is-that-she-or-he-is-willing-to/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Jesus regularly visualized the success of his efforts ... 'I always do what pleases God.' ... Was this conceit? Or was it enlightened creativity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/jesus-regularly-visualized-the-success-of-his-efforts-i-always-do/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [A purpose statement is, in essence, a written-down reason for being. Jesus' mission helped him decide how to act, what to do, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/a-purpose-statement-is-in-essence-a-written-down-reason-for-being/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Nobody wins until we all do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/nobody-wins-until-we-all-do/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Forgetting your mission leads, inevitably, to getting tangled up in details-details that can take you completely off your path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/forgetting-your-mission-leads-inevitably-to-getting-tangled-up-in/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [If someone was to tally the number of human hours wasted in business by people trying to accomplish objectives without being given the authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/if-someone-was-to-tally-the-number-of-human-hours-wasted-in-business/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [“Inertia, when first encountered, appears to be an immovable force. We are creatures who like comfort, patterns, and repetition… Yet change is life’s only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/inertia-when-first-encountered-appears-to-be-an-immovable-force-we/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [“…the fruit merely a manifestation of what was inside the tree all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/the-fruit-merely-a-manifestation-of-what-was-inside-the-tree-all-along/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [Sometimes facing opportunity is like staring at the knees of a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/sometimes-facing-opportunity-is-like-staring-at-the-knees-of-a-giraffe/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [If you believe you have a just cause, an important message, or a key contribution to make, you will be just as innovative as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/if-you-believe-you-have-a-just-cause-an-important-message-or-a-key/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [People who succeed speak well of themselves to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/people-who-succeed-speak-well-of-themselves-to-themselves/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [“They seek the edges, because it is the edges that ultimately lead us. A wise person does not fear the edges and fringes, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/they-seek-the-edges-because-it-is-the-edges-that-ultimately-lead-us-a/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [It takes people some time to appreciate that their greater resources are often the people they know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/it-takes-people-some-time-to-appreciate-that-their-greater-resources/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [As a leader, it is vitally important that you keep in touch with your boss on a regular, sacrosanct basis. Chances are your boss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/as-a-leader-it-is-vitally-important-that-you-keep-in-touch-with-your/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) [Explore all 23 Laurie Beth Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) ## More Boards quotes > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Cows are a lot smarter across the board than bulls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/cows-are-a-lot-smarter-across-the-board-than-bulls/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [Some guys need to see things on a grease board, ... I like when you can see it in your mind. And that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-manning/some-guys-need-to-see-things-on-a-grease-board-i-like-when-you-can/) [Peyton Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-manning/) > [I am formally accountable to the steering board of the PIC, and I meet with nine ambassadors from the PIC every week. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Once scouting fully opens its doors to all who desire the same experience that so fully enriched me as a young person, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/once-scouting-fully-opens-its-doors-to-all-who-desire-the-same/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Politicians should be dedicated to the welfare of the people, but sometimes politics becomes like a game of chess, in which the sole aim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/politicians-should-be-dedicated-to-the-welfare-of-the-people-but/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [This world is not a platform where you will hear Thalberg-piano-playing. It is a piano manufactory, where are dust and shavings and boards, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/this-world-is-not-a-platform-where-you-will-hear-thalberg-piano/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [He is nothing more than one of my pawns. However, he is not a normal pawn. He is a pawn that can get across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yana-toboso/he-is-nothing-more-than-one-of-my-pawns-however-he-is-not-a-normal/) [Yana Toboso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yana-toboso/) > [Corporations are totalitarian institutions. Board of directors at the top of managers give orders, everyone follows orders… At the very bottom of command, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/corporations-are-totalitarian-institutions-board-of-directors-at-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Our current use of time is not rational. There is therefore no point in seeking marginal improvements in how we spend our time. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-koch/our-current-use-of-time-is-not-rational-there-is-therefore-no-point/) [Richard Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-koch/) > [When I was in college, I lost my scholarship one year. I had enough money for tuition, but not room and board. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/when-i-was-in-college-i-lost-my-scholarship-one-year-i-had-enough/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) Browse all 1,220 Boards quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good leader has a plan that consists of changing simple pictures. Just because a group of people has a bunch of boards, hammers, and nails does not mean that they are building a house or even anything recognizable. 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