There is no shortage of sources for learning about leadership. You can be overwhelmed by the books available. Consultants are everywhere.

How can you choose? We offer this important question: Shouldn't solutions be experience-based and practical, able to be easily understood and applied?

Even if material is good theory, it may leave you hanging in the realm of the theoretical. "How will I ever bring that idea back to my shop?" you ask. We are reminded of the novice skier who had taken so many lessons and read so many good books about skiing that he could not clear his head of all the things he had to remember each time he needed to turn. So he kept falling and soon gave up in frustration.

Our slogan, "Practical lessons for leading people," is precisely our focus.

• PRACTICAL. Lessons are packed with examples of real-world experiences, gained over decades of managing and leading people.

• LEADING. We don't split hairs about whether our program is leadership development, or manager quality improvement, or effective communications coaching. It's all of that. The people you manage look to you for leadership they can follow and trust. You may, in turn, have a boss who expects you to be both a leader and follower to achieve your firm's goals.

• PEOPLE. You don't lead rectangles on org charts. You lead PEOPLE. The many nuances of leading people effectively is an essential part of our program.

Our program also emphasizes the Leader of Character, who can discern the harder right when faced with conflicting choices, who has the moral courage to choose the harder right in the face of risk, and who can endure any difficult periods that may follow such a choice. The "harder right" can easily escape a leader, but this is not a test you can fail very often and keep the respect of your people. This ethical side of leadership is at the core of our practical lessons.