S6 E14: The Evolution of Leadership Communication with Scott Simmons

The Inspire Podcast

In this episode, Bart is joined by a fellow CEO of a leadership communication training company, Scott Simmons of Ariel. Together, they explore Scott's unique career path—from healthcare to Gallup, and now to leading Ariel. They dive into the evolving landscape of leadership communication, examining what has changed and what remains the same. The conversation touches on the new expectations placed on leaders today, the critical skills they must develop, and the increasingly diverse audiences they need to engage. Bart and Scott also discuss the role of AI in shaping leadership development, where human expertise still reigns, and the enduring opportunity to inspire through communication that both Ariel and The Humphrey Group help their clients capitalize on. Learn more about Ariel Group at their website, https://www.arielgroup.com, and connect with them on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ariel-group/ 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