I met Earl Collins in Frederick Maryland in the early 80's.  Often, after listening to a problem I was having, he would give me advice that always made perfect sense, which was frequently followed by his most famous line and primary philosophy..."Its so simple!"

This philosophy has stuck with me through the years and has helped me tremendously. Our organization "Simple Leadership Strategies" was named partially in honor of Earl and this profound philosophy. Many people, from wise men who lived thousands of years ago to current management and leadership experts, have expressed the power that lies in simplicity.  Is there something to this?

Colin Powell suggests, "Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers..."

Not everyone believes that leadership can be simplified. In their outstanding book Leaders , Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus say this: "Decades of academic analysis have given us more than 850 definitions of leadership. Literally thousands of empiricle investigations of leaders have been conducted in the last seventy five years alone, but no clear and unequivical understanding exists as to what distinguishes leaders from non-leaders..."

Frederick W. Smith, the founder of Fed-Ex, however, shares our view: "...the proven principles of management and leadership are absolute, and in fact, simple."

What are the few "simple" ideas that will help us all become the right kind of leader?  What is the right kind of leader?  The right kind of leader is one that

• Earns trust through character, commitment and confidence
• Instills confidence in their teams through competence, caring, and communication
• And inspires action through vision, values and purpose

By doing these things, they not only deliver exceptional results, they change lives. They make families, communities, their countries, and the world a better place.

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