Plan of Action

A practical guide and compass to creating a life with purpose, full of timeless wisdom from a successful agriculture CEO and leader who navigated his own transitions toward action with meaning.

Most people live with no plan until they come to a day when they question everything. Money, status, power . . . suddenly all pale in comparison to the need for meaning. At that point, getting a plan is everything.

Randy Linville was CEO of a global company when he came to his struggle between money and meaning. This is the story of what he learned on the road to true purpose and satisfaction. Don't expect a typical CEO memoir. Plan of Action is less about Linville's career than the accumulated wisdom that got him through it and is taking him beyond. From a front-row seat in the business world, and with spiritual insight that transcends business, readers of Plan of Action gain practical wisdom in a refreshing perspective. Linville reveals how a Kansas farmer's son became CEO of a global company . . . and a cynic became a believer. Plan of Action chapters form four sections: Reboot, Resolve, Respond, and Recharge:

1. REBOOT

   Dream Again: An End to Smoldering Discontentment
   Learn to Pray: This Day and in Eternity
   Innovate: Old Steps, New Dance



2. RESOLVE

   Choose: God's Will and Your Call
   Be Intentional: In Writing
   Focus: Right Work, Right Time



3. RESPOND

   Go Together: The Outsized Power of Shared Purpose
   Be Bold: Do Things That Take Your Breath Away
   Master the Daily: Readiness is Stewardship



4. RECHARGE

   Pause to Advance: Look, Listen, Rest
   Pay Wisdom Forward: Leave More Than Silence
   Practice Gratitude: Of Masters, Mentors, and Peers

Plan of Action is ideal for college graduates just beginning their careers and for the mid-career executive wanting purpose-filled work. Christian business leaders, pastors, ministry leaders, life coaches, and career counselors will all find Plan of Action a helpful resource for themselves and for the colleagues, students, mentees, and friends they counsel. Plan of Action is an indispensable compass a guidebook of leading voices and hard-won markers on the road to dreams that come true and stay that way.

Like reading a modern-day Book of Proverbs, Randy Linville’s Plan of Action is filled with wisdom gained through lived experience. It is an inspiring, practical, and helpful guide to living the good life. ―Adam Hamilton, senior pastor, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection; best-selling author of The Walk

So many of us are dissatisfied with our lives. We need to change, but how? Randy Linville shows you how. He has led businesses at the highest level and has a storehouse of wisdom to share. Plan of Action distills the key principles that made Linville successful. My advice is to get this book and follow its advice! ―Seth Barnes, founder, Adventures in Missions and World Race

Everyone who knew Bob knew he had no idea he’d have a legacy. He just thought he did what he was called to do for his time. He’d be pleased to know that his work with leaders lives on in their influence and in new generations. ―Linda Buford, wife of Bob Buford, founder of The Halftime Institute

Randy Linville earned dual bachelor's degrees in agricultural economics and business finance and a master's in agricultural economics from Kansas State University. His thirty-year career includes his tenure as CEO of Scoular, where he diversified and steadied the agriculture supply chain company across the US and in international markets. As founding chair of the Commodity Markets Council, he united industry rivals to more strongly compete in the world market. Post-vocation, he co-formed and sold Agspring, one of the first private equity-backed consolidators taking agribusiness to world markets. He has served on nonprofit boards such as The FarmHouse Foundation, Global Scholars, The Halftime Institute, and The World Soy Foundation.

Randy grew up on a farm in Holcomb, Kansas; today he lives with his family in Leawood, Kansas. Plan of Action is his first book.

Nancy Lovell earned degrees in Advertising/PR and English from Texas Tech University, and for decades studied humanities at the College of St. Thomas More. Independently, with agencies, in partnerships . . . her career emphasis on writing, editing, cowriting, and ghostwriting, for clients from AI to ice cream, has taken her across continents, into top media, and to a wide range of people, leaders and expertise. Among others, she worked closely with Bob Buford, founder and head of The Halftime Institute.
Nancy grew up in Japan, Texas, and Illinois. She currently lives in Dallas. Plan of Action is her third book.