The Evolution of Leadership Communication with Scott Simmons

Show Notes

00:21 Show intro
00:57 Welcoming Scott Simmons
01:44 Tell us about Ariel Group
02:20 From acting classes to communication consulting
03:27 The parallels between Ariel and THG
04:14 Scott's career trajectory
04:34 Healthcare in Flux in the 90s
05:16 Food service delivery challenges
06:58 The Human element
08:06 Joined Gallup
08:46 Why did you move to Gallup?
09:13 Need to go beyond meeting basic expectations
09:41 Really need an engaged workforce delivering quality in the moment
10:31 Embodying the mission of the org
11:23 Did the human element make a difference at Gallup?
12:05 Focus on manager effectiveness
12:12 How much can you change/improve managers?
12:55 Burdened by initiatives
13:27 What did he learn about leadership communication in organizations?
15:17 Jumping at the opportunity to be CEO
17:42 The changing demands on leaders today
19:50 Trying to do more with less
20:04 Bart talks about the loss of decorum these days
22:11 Keyboard courage
23:24 A lot more self-ownership
24:07 The move to digital/virtual world
24:31 Leaders now have to communicate in multiple channels
25:05 Don't get caught up in the shiny new thing
26:39 AI as a training/practice tool - not a replacement
27:08 3 things leaders should be doing?
29:15 Best communicators are: CLEAR, CONCISE, CANDID
29:43 Big shift - putting yourself in audience/readers standpoint
30:12 Candidness
30:45 Start reflecting back on 2024!
31:03 The core of communication stays the same, even as channels change/increase
31:47 Thank yous

Show Transcript

Scott Simmons: If we're not careful, we can get caught up in, "this is what's shiny right now, and we need to pursue this right now," instead of it being a little bit more thoughtful, tied to the vision, tied to the metrics of the organization, and the real change that they're looking to drive.

Bart Egnal: Welcome to the Inspire podcast, where we examine what it takes to intentionally inspire. I'm your host, Bart Egnal, president and CEO of the Humphrey Group. And if you've ever asked yourself, how can you develop an authentic leadership presence, or how can you tell stories that have people hanging off every word, well, then this podcast is for you. And it's not just for executives. This is a podcast for anyone who wants to influence and inspire others in their work, but also in their life.

Scott Simmons is the CEO of the internationally renowned leadership communication company Ariel. So my guest on today's episode of the Inspire podcast is Scott Simmons. And, Scott, I think this is a rarity. Scott, you are also the CEO of an internationally renowned leadership communication company, Ariel. And so, Scott, welcome to the Inspire podcast.

Scott Simmons: Well, thank you for having me, Bart.

Bart Egnal: Yeah, it's great to have you. I know this has been in the works. We've known each other for a couple of years now, and I've certainly appreciated the chance to talk shop, talk inspirational communication with someone who's doing it well and leading a firm doing it well. And so we've been talking a lot about this opportunity to come together and really discuss what we're seeing in the world of leadership communication. So I appreciate you coming on. And for those who don't know Ariel, tell us about Ariel. What do you do, and how did the firm come to be?

Scott Simmons: Sure, first of all, it's good to be here, so thank you for having me. Ariel is a Boston-based leadership development, communication, and executive coaching company that was founded back in the late nineties by our two founders, who happened to be actors living here in the Boston area. They were teaching acting classes at night and on weekends in local community theaters. Some of the people that would come to their classes were executives and folks who worked in local Boston companies. After attending a few of their classes, they were approached by a few people who said, "You know, everything I'm learning in your classes here for acting, I'm actually applying back at work." And so, they were asked, "Would you bring what you're doing now, which is essentially using the skills, traits, and tools that actors and performers use to effectively relate to an audience, into the workplace?" There was some back and forth, and they came up with a solution and started delivering what was called in the very beginning, "Leading with Presence." It's still called that, although it's adapted and morphed into many different things now, in local companies and then spread out around the world. We now have facilitators all over the world. And even though we're Boston-based, we've got employees and executive coaches all over the country.

Bart Egnal: And it's so neat you’re sharing this origin story, because I think, as we've remarked, as we've gotten to know each other, our firms have a lot of respect for each other. It's almost eerie how similar our DNA is at the Humphrey Group, considering my mom, who founded the company, partnered with an actor to teach presence and combine it with clarity of communication. Today, we, too, have people all over the world. It speaks to the fact that there is some common DNA in great communication and the need to teach it. I know some of that has stayed the same, some of that's changed, and we're going to talk about that.

But, you know, enough about our firms, let's talk about you. Because I know, unlike me, who kind of came out of school and went right into leadership communication, you started in a very different place in your career before you found your way to Ariel. Where did your career start?

Scott Simmons: So, my career started back in the mid-nineties. I actually started off in healthcare. I had done an internship in a local healthcare facility when I was finishing up my master's degree, and they asked me if I wanted to join them full-time after I graduated. I honestly didn't have any other prospects at the time, so I said sure, and I started off back when things were in flux in healthcare quite a bit. In the nineties, we were going through a lot of process improvement, as all hospitals and healthcare systems were starting to do back in the mid-nineties. We launched a big process, which I think now is called Six Sigma, but back in the day, it was called Total Quality Management (TQM), which is really about creating cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiencies. I was part of a specific team formed to look at one of our bigger challenges in the healthcare system, which was food service delivery. Orders were sometimes wrong, the hot food was cold, and sometimes the cold food was hot.

Bart Egnal: Hold on, Scott, this is earth-shattering here. Are you saying that food in the hospitals wasn't great?

Scott Simmons: Yeah, not only was the food not great, but sometimes it was just wrong. I know, I know. And see how things have changed over time.

Bart Egnal: Yes. Clearly, this project solved everything.

Scott Simmons: We spent thousands of hours doing all sorts of time studies, completely re-engineering the way we used our food carts and elevators. We invested tons of money in new equipment, and after many months and thousands of hours, we successfully got the right orders to the right rooms with hot food staying hot and cold food staying cold. We anticipated seeing a big uptick in our food service ratings, but we saw only marginal improvement.

Bart Egnal: Why not?

Scott Simmons: We had to dig deeper. Despite all our hard work, re-engineering, and getting the product itself right, the delivery was not always engaging for the patient or family member. If someone just threw the food on a tray and left, or if no one was in the room, people weren't aware of it. There were many human elements involved that we didn't account for in our process. A light bulb went off in my head—we missed the people component of this. At the time, I didn't really have the language around this, but it felt like we missed a big piece. When I tried raising this at the hospital, it was dismissed with, "We spent all this money on new equipment; that should take care of it," but it didn't. Things continued to stay the same.

I was having a conversation about my frustration with someone who said, "There's a company out there that focuses on the human element of this." This was back in the mid-nineties, and I had no idea such companies existed. She said, "The company is Gallup." I only knew Gallup from their polls, not for their work around employee engagement or customer service. I looked into it, became excited, and ended up joining Gallup in 2003. I stayed there for almost 15 years, eventually running the healthcare division, where we definitely focused on the people element in healthcare.

Bart Egnal: So, in leaving healthcare and going to Gallup, it strikes me that there was something you experienced—going through this huge Six Sigma lean process, yet failing to make any real impact due to the lack of leadership and communication. What was the big takeaway that led you to join Gallup and tackle this missing piece?

Scott Simmons: I think it was two things. First, the fundamental belief, grounded in research, that just because you're meeting basic expectations—like hot food being hot and cold food being cold—doesn't mean you're winning. You're literally just meeting basic expectations, and you don't get points for that. We thought we were going to get credit for simply being right, and we didn't. Second, to see significant improvement, you need more than just working processes; you need an engaged workforce delivering quality service in the moment. I noticed differences in hospitals where scores did go up after we made these changes.

Bart Egnal: And what were those differences?

Scott Simmons: It was the people. The very best employees used a different language to describe how they viewed their roles. They embodied the mission of the organization and didn’t see themselves as just doing a job—they saw themselves as contributing to the health of the patient. Even food service workers or housekeeping staff viewed their roles as integral to the patient's recovery.

Bart Egnal: They are. Our experience of healthcare is shaped by everyone who touches us when we come to a hospital. So, you had this epiphany, joined Gallup, and I imagine you thought, "I'm going to fix this." How did it go?

Scott Simmons: Overall, it went well. My thesis was right. But the success was even more refined by recognizing that high-performing workgroups were often led by outstanding managers. The quality of the manager made or broke the institution. Even with great leaders at the top, without effective managers, organizations wouldn’t succeed to their full potential.

Bart Egnal: Makes sense. You can set any strategy, but if the managers can't lead the team to execute it, it falls flat. So, how much could you change ineffective managers through training, and how much did you have to replace them?

Scott Simmons: It varied. In some hospitals, managers were overwhelmed with multiple initiatives and regulatory requirements. Helping leadership understand that too many initiatives burden managers was key. Removing some of those burdens allowed them to focus on engaging employees and delivering results.

Bart Egnal: Once they were unencumbered, were you able to support and develop them?

Scott Simmons: Yes, though in healthcare, managers didn’t often receive the same level of development as in other industries. Removing unnecessary burdens and providing development opportunities were crucial in helping them succeed.

Bart Egnal: How many hospitals did you work with over your time at Gallup?

Scott Simmons: Several hundred.

Bart Egnal: What did you conclude about leadership communication in healthcare?

Scott Simmons: The most effective leaders were not only operationally excellent, but also highly effective communicators. They were present, candid, and authentic. They weren’t afraid to make mistakes or get involved in the process. I remember visiting a hospital in Florida where the CEO knew everyone by name and was deeply connected to the staff. That kind of leadership made all the difference.

Bart Egnal: What a great story. It shows that while operational effectiveness is essential, connection to the mission and being authentic in communication are just as important.

Scott Simmons: You’re right, Bart. And I think as leaders, it's easy to focus on the operational and strategic aspects, but authentic communication and connection are what truly move people. So, after my time at Gallup, I joined Ariel in 2018 as the CEO. The opportunity to lead a company focused on leadership communication full-time was a challenge I wanted to take on.

Bart Egnal: So, what led you to take on the role at Ariel? Was it the opportunity to be a CEO, or was there something about Ariel that drew you in?

Scott Simmons: It was a bit of both. I wanted to see if I could be a CEO and lead a company in a new way. At Gallup, I had a small role in learning and development, but jumping into a company where that’s the main focus was a new challenge. I thought I was a good communicator, but after going through some of Ariel's training, I realized I had a lot to learn. Seeing myself on video and being asked to mine stories from my past and use them in a business context was humbling.

Bart Egnal: I can imagine. Being put on video can be quite revealing. So, you joined Ariel in 2018, and not long after, the world changed drastically with the pandemic. How has that impacted leadership communication and the expectations placed on leaders?

Scott Simmons: The pandemic definitely accelerated some changes that were already happening. Leaders are now expected to do more with less—tighter budgets, fewer resources, but still delivering the same, if not better, results. The way we deliver leadership development has also shifted. Instead of spending two or three days in training, clients now ask for shorter, more frequent sessions, broken up over time. The move to digital learning was already starting, but the pandemic really pushed that forward.

Bart Egnal: Yes, we’ve seen the same trend. The pressure on leaders has grown, and the time they have to develop themselves has shrunk. It’s a tough balancing act. What are some of the other changes you’ve seen in leadership communication?

Scott Simmons: One big change is that leaders now have to communicate through multiple channels—emails, texts, virtual meetings, in-person events—so the volume of communication has exploded. There’s also been a shift in the way people communicate with leaders. In the past, there was a certain decorum or deference in how employees engaged with executives. But now, especially in virtual town halls or meetings, people are more direct, sometimes even confrontational. I call it "keyboard courage"—people feel more empowered to speak their minds behind a screen.

Bart Egnal: That’s such an interesting observation. I’ve seen the same thing. The formality is gone, and employees are more willing to push back, especially in virtual settings. It’s a challenge for leaders who are used to a more hierarchical communication style. How have you seen leaders adapt to this?

Scott Simmons: Leaders have had to become more transparent and authentic in their communication. Employees want to feel like they’re being heard and that their concerns are being addressed. Leaders can’t just rely on their position anymore; they have to earn trust through clear, candid, and consistent communication.

Bart Egnal: That’s a great point. It’s no longer enough to be the boss—you have to show up as a person, too. So, with all of these changes, what advice would you give to leaders who are trying to rise to the challenge?

Scott Simmons: I would say three things: be clear, be concise, and be candid. Those are the three C’s I try to model in my own communication. First, be clear about what you want to communicate. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience—what do they need to hear? Then, be concise. With so much communication coming at us from all directions, brevity is key. And finally, be candid. Authenticity is more important than ever. Share your experiences, your challenges, and even your failures. That’s how you build trust and inspire others.

Bart Egnal: I love that—clear, concise, and candid. It’s such a simple but powerful framework. And it’s timeless. Even as the channels and methods of communication evolve, those core principles remain the same. It reminds me of the hospital CEO you mentioned earlier—she embodied all of those traits.

Scott Simmons: Exactly. The fundamentals of communication haven’t changed. It’s about connecting with people on a human level, being present, and sharing a clear and compelling vision. Even though the tools and platforms we use to communicate are constantly evolving, the core principles of leadership communication will always stay the same.

Bart Egnal: I couldn’t agree more. Scott, this has been such a great conversation. Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with us. I’m sure our listeners will take away some valuable lessons they can apply in their own leadership journeys.

Scott Simmons: Thanks for having me, Bart. It was a pleasure to be here and to talk with you about something we’re both so passionate about.

Bart Egnal: I hope you enjoyed that episode of the Inspire podcast and the conversation I had with our guest, Scott Simmons. Hopefully, you left with some practical tools and tips you can use to be more consistently inspirational in your leadership. If you're enjoying the podcast, please rate and review it. Your feedback helps others discover the show and helps us continue making great content. Stay tuned—we'll be back in two weeks with another inspiring conversation. Thanks for listening, and go forth and inspire.