When Jeff Simmons is not occupied with his demanding responsibilities as the chief executive officer of Elanco, one of the world’s leading companies in the field of animal health and agricultural innovation, he devotes his attention to a very different—yet equally complex—form of leadership: guiding and nurturing his large family of six children. Balancing the vast scale of corporate management with the intimate challenges of fatherhood, Simmons approaches both with a deliberate sense of purpose and structure. Every Sunday, he and his family gather for what he describes as family meetings—sessions that function not merely as opportunities for domestic coordination but as personal development workshops where life lessons blend seamlessly with professional guidance.
These weekly discussions, as Simmons explained to Business Insider, evolve naturally into career-coaching moments. Now that several of his children have entered the professional world, he and his wife find themselves continually fulfilling the roles of mentors and advisers. They emphasize reflection, resilience, and a deep understanding of personal motivation. Central to Simmons’s philosophy—and the message he consistently imparts to his children—is a deceptively simple yet transformative principle: discover your “why.” He believes that understanding the internal purpose driving one’s actions is the foundation upon which true success and satisfaction are built.
This idea has already profoundly impacted his family. One of his sons, inspired by the notion of pursuing a meaningful life aligned with inner conviction, made a bold decision to leave a broadcasting position in Lexington, Kentucky, and pursue ministry as a pastor. Simmons views this as a tangible demonstration of how identifying one’s “why” can realign an entire life trajectory toward authenticity and fulfillment.
Simmons himself speaks candidly about his personal journey to purpose. It took him more than a decade—thirteen years, by his own reckoning—to uncover what genuinely motivated him. Once that realization crystallized, every aspect of his professional and personal life began to shift. A pivotal moment occurred when he encountered a struggling father and his two hungry daughters who had not eaten for two days. Witnessing their suffering, he recalled, was a moment that “wrecked” him emotionally and spiritually. It was a profound encounter that awakened in him a relentless commitment to addressing issues of hunger and food insecurity. “It unlocked something in me,” he said. “My ‘why’ is hungry.” Through this statement, Simmons expressed both a literal and metaphorical truth: his mission to confront hunger in the world—and his admiration for the determined, insatiably driven type of “hungry” leader who never stops striving for impact.
Having devoted more than thirty years to Elanco, Simmons has shaped both his professional vision and his life’s work around that purpose. Under his leadership, the company continues to push boundaries in animal health by fostering innovative technologies and supporting farmers in enhancing animal well-being while simultaneously reducing ecological impact. Approximately ten years ago, in an extension of his personal mission, Simmons founded Hatch for Hunger, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing protein-rich meals to families in need. This initiative underscores his conviction that corporate leadership should also embody humanitarian responsibility. According to an Elanco spokesperson, the organization will reach a milestone of distributing one hundred million meals this year—a testament to the tangible results of a purpose-driven vision realized through perseverance and community engagement.
In addition to his corporate and philanthropic enterprises, Simmons channels his energy into leadership development. He serves as chairman of EDGE Mentoring, a program designed to connect emerging leaders with experienced professionals who can guide them through the early, often turbulent stages of their careers. This commitment reflects a consistent theme in Simmons’s worldview: the belief that nurturing potential in others—especially those who demonstrate curiosity, gratitude, and relentless drive—is one of the greatest forms of leadership. When Simmons recognizes what he calls “hungry leaders,” individuals who are fueled by purpose and eager to challenge their limits, he finds himself deeply moved. “When somebody finds their ‘why,’” he said with conviction, “they will go places they couldn’t imagine going.”
Beyond instilling purpose, Simmons also instills a practical ethos rooted in diligence and integrity. He notes that in his household, hard work is not simply encouraged—it is celebrated. At one point, the family even displayed a bumper sticker bearing a simple yet powerful affirmation: “We can do hard things.” That phrase, for Simmons, encapsulates a philosophy that perseverance through adversity is not merely a mark of character but a prerequisite for meaningful achievement. He often observes that while many college students work part-time or take on internships, few are adequately prepared for the endurance required to manage the demands of a fourteen-hour workday or the complex pressures of a full-time professional role.
Thus, one of the guiding principles he teaches his children is to recognize and respect the “power in the ability to work.” The formative, hands-on lessons learned in the first five years of a person’s career, he insists, create a foundation that can shape one’s direction for decades to come. As an illustration, Simmons recounted a conversation with his son who had recently graduated from college and was now employed in Dallas. His son observed that several of his peers who graduated the same year had already resigned from their first jobs. They lacked what Simmons and his son described as the “muscle of work”—the endurance, discipline, and inner strength developed through consistent effort. Simmons agreed wholeheartedly, seeing in that observation a generational challenge: the need to build resilience through experience, not avoidance.
Simmons’s belief in establishing a strong work ethic extends to his views on early career presence and professionalism. While he supports flexibility and remote work arrangements when appropriate, he maintains that individuals at the beginning of their careers should take every opportunity to be physically present in the office. In-person engagement, he argues, allows young professionals to form relationships, absorb workplace culture, and develop communication skills that cannot be fully replicated through virtual channels.
Furthermore, Simmons and his wife make it a priority to teach what he calls “basic social hygiene”—the everyday courtesies that often distinguish those who lead with grace and gratitude. Small gestures, such as sending handwritten thank-you notes or expressing appreciation promptly, are, in his view, essential markers of character. “I think the basics can be forgotten,” he remarked, emphasizing that in an age increasingly dominated by digital communication and hurried interactions, these simple acts of respect and acknowledgment carry extraordinary significance.
Through his example as a devoted father, thoughtful leader, and purposeful human being, Jeff Simmons embodies a philosophy that intertwines professional ambition with personal meaning. His story demonstrates that leadership is not confined to boardrooms or business strategies—it is cultivated in family conversations, in the willingness to work hard, and in the courage to identify and pursue one’s deepest ‘why.’
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/career-advice-elanco-ceo-shares-with-six-kids-2025-12
