Diagonalizing the Ricci Tensor

We show that a basis of a semisimple Lie algebra of compact type, for which any diagonal left-invariant metric has a diagonal Ricci tensor, is characterized by the Lie algebraic condition of being "nice". Namely, the bracket of any two basis elements is a multiple of another basis element. This extends the work of Lauret and Will on nilpotent Lie algebras. The result follows from a more general characterization for diagonalizing the Ricci tensor for homogeneous spaces. Finally, we also study the Ricci flow behavior of diagonal metrics on cohomogeneity one manifolds.