S.I.M.P.L.E.

Simple is in. In today's fast-paced society every so often something so revolutionary comes along in a tidy simple package that it sweeps the world up in the wake of it's impact. Time and again these world-sweeping innovations are the love children of simplicity.

Think about this all of the successful companies in our world are the drivers of our economy and interact on a daily basis with the most complex systems and methodologies known to man, yet their approach to the public is a clarion of simple...

..."have it your way"..."expect more, pay less"...15 minutes can save you 15% or more on your car insurance"...etc.etc.etc.

For today's leader to be successful he or she must learn to harness the awesome power of simple.

Simple narrows down everything your organization or movement is about and channels it into an easily accessable statement that becomes the marching orders for all who have connected themselves to your work.

Simple is memorable and memorable is portable.

Here are 6 steps to make any organization flow smoothly down the river of simple:

S - Start with the vision

Vision must be the starting point for the simple movement you are desiring to accomplish. Vision brings with it focus and clarity as well as a conviction that what you are proposing "ought" to be done. Nothing achieves results like a man or woman driven by a heartfelt "oughtness."

I - Internal Purging

Internal Purging is the process of evaluating everything your organization is doing through the lense of vision and purging the things that are no longer compatible with that vision. This process can be difficult, but is critically important in the movement toward simple. In the internal purging process you must be willing to make the tough decisions that will more than likely result in some people not agreeing with you and even challenging your motivation for change. In the end you must constantly refer to the vision. The vision leads you toward the purging.

M - Maintain open lines of communication

Communication is the Achiles' heel of any leadership team. Always remember where there is great communication great things happen, where there is good communication good things happen, where there is bad communication bad things happen, and where there is no communication no things happen. Be extremely intentional about communicating the process of simple to all those involved in key leadership positions in your organization and encourage them to communicate that with all those falling under their spheres of influence.

P - Prepare passionately

Preparation time is not wasted time. Simple is not easy, therefore you have got to put the time in so that the vision is given the proper environment to grow and mature. Simple is a process that fosters development among the vision, the visionary, and the visionees. Do your homework. Ask the right questions. Meet with the right people. Find everything you can about what you are trying to accomplish and put in into words in an impacting and memorable way. This can only be done while standing on the shoulders of your preparation.

L - Let go of the un-important

In leadership there is a constant struggle between the urgent and the important. Sadly many of us place far too much time in the urgent and let the important fall by the wayside. Time management is critical to creating an enviromnent of simple. Urgent things require time, but you must begin to schedule time to deal with the urgent as well as time to deal with the important. Consider this: going to the restroom after a 9 hour car ride is urgent, whereas having a fully functional zipper on your pants is important. Learn to let go of the un-important and focus your time and energy into the things that are producing results and drawing your organization closer to the realization of the vision.

E - Energize people toward the goal

Energizing people is alot like flying a hot air ballon. You must constantly keep filling the ballon in order to rise and stay in the air. Creating an organization of simple is not easy and it will require a great motivational leader who can energize the people (both staff members and casual observers) toward the goal. A great practice for any leader is to remind the people of the vision about every 21 days. Because of the hectic nature of our lives (as noted above) we can lose sight of the big picture so it is a great leadership practice to remind the people of the vision about every three weeks. Proper vision casting leads to proper mobility throughout any organization.

Well there you have it. A 6 step guide to implementing simple into all that you do. Simple is becoming a war cry of all successful enterprises and is soaking into the hearts of millions of people worldwide. As we strive to point our organizations toward the future it will be up to our leadership to bring about success. Our success is found at the end of the rainbow of simple.