I was saddened this week to hear that Bob Horner had passed away at 68. Horner was one of my favorite baseball players growing up. He played second base for the Atlanta Braves from 1978-1986. He wore number 5, and he played 3rd base. Our family moved to Georgia in 1982 when I was 5 years old. My brother and I have loved sports for as long as I can remember, and the Braves were our team. I remember going to a Braves game as a child at the old Fulton County Stadium. The tickets were cheap, and the Braves wore powder blue jerseys. We loved to watch our favorite players like Dale Murphy and Bob Horner. I remember the game when Bob Horner broke his wrist sliding into second base. It’s a strange memory emblazoned in my mind. When we were young, it seemed as if the Braves game was often on in the background. Back when there were no blackouts or streaming rights, you could always count on TBS to have the game. Looking back on that time in our lives reminds me of a simpler time. And simplicity often paves the way for peace.

Similarly, simplicity in leadership often paves the way for organizational peace. Most leaders have been a part of organizations that seem to thrive on complicating processes and systems. I emailed a large national non-profit earlier this week to inquire about an event on their calendar. So far, I have been deferred to four different people and have yet to get an answer to my question. All I have to show is a 3-day email thread full of ‘runaround.’ We forget that customers and constituents value a simple process that provides them with the results they need, and a simple process to get there.

I believe a valuable skill for great leaders is the ability to simplify the systems and processes that drive their success. Of course, some things by their nature are more complicated. And some systems require a more robust, complex process. Still, a great leader knows the way to simplicity. Think about all the available content about leadership, organizational management, and finding success. Yet the skills that most often deliver the greatest ROI are the simple ones we learned early in life, like kindness, service, and forgiveness.

It was the great military strategist and leader, Colin Powell, who said, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers.”  

Maclane Forbus | EVP- Thought Leadership

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