Gentle Art of Leadership Podcast – John Simmons

John Simmons is a husband, father, and entrepreneur with a powerful story of discipline, leadership, and transformation. Straight out of high school, John enrolled in the army, where he developed a strong foundation of structure and resilience. Transitioning to civilian life, he worked in restaurants and experienced firsthand the dramatic shift between military service and the business world. John shares key lessons from his time in the military and how they’ve shaped his leadership philosophy today. He emphasizes the importance of taking care of your employees, even if they move on to other opportunities or start competing businesses, and explains how cleansing your company culture can boost production and morale for the rest of the team. John opens up about the impact of work on his marriage and how he’s shifting focus—scaling back on production to prioritize leadership and personal balance. As a seasoned real estate professional, John dives into the challenges of navigating the current market and what it takes to succeed during a downturn. He stresses the value of having a strong team, one that you care for so they, in turn, care for you. John also talks about the importance of partnerships, where strengths and weaknesses complement each other to build something more significant.