Simon T. Bailey: Thought Leader

Simon T. Bailey is a leadership imagineer sparking resilience and brilliance in individuals and organizations through transformative storytelling.

Quick Facts:

Highlights:
  • Named one of Success magazine’s Top 25 influencers for life and leadership alongside Brene Brown and Tony Robbins.
  • Previously served as Sales Director at the Disney Institute.
  • Advised over 2,400 organizations in 50+ countries, including American Express and Deloitte.


Formats Available: Keynotes (45–60 min), immersive workshops, coaching programs, virtual or in-person sessions

Preferred Audiences: Senior leaders, HR and talent teams, customer-focused professionals, and organizations committed to building resilient, purpose-driven cultures.

Outcomes:
  1. Build a culture of resilience through practical mindset and skillset tools.
  2. Drive customer loyalty and exceptional experience using Disney-derived service frameworks.
  3. Ignite sustainable transformation by cultivating brilliance and leadership mindset across teams.
Reviews: (1 reviews)
5/5
  • Travels from: Orlando, Florida
  • **Fee range: $35,001 - $50,000

Talent Services

Keynote Topics:

Igniting Brilliance for Culture Excellence

This keynote experience, grounded in Simon’s extensive work with over 2,300 organizations in 54 countries, emphasizes the vital role of managers in fostering team well-being and innovation.

It outlines the crucial traits of exceptional managers: knowing their team members, embracing creativity, fostering growth, and actively listening, all contributing to a thriving and flourishing workplace culture.

The experience illustrates how better management can transform organizational success through relationship-building, collaboration, innovation, and growth.

Key Takeaways

  • Uncover the five most important skills that extraordinary leaders and managers use to nurture ideas and foster an environment of well-being.
  • Understand how to be perpetually present by embracing and empowering team members.
  • Master how to lead remote and hybrid teams that collaborate despite the physical distance that separates them.
  • Coach individuals to their fullest potential by extracting the brilliance that resides within the recesses of each employee’s being.

How to Coach Yourself into a Thriving Future

Drawing from his personal reinvention and the themes of his book Resilience@Work, Simon’s keynote delves into the story of four professionals – Hurry, Worry, Ready, and Steady – facing AI integration and uncertain futures.

This narrative showcases resilience as a crucial skill in the modern corporate world, emphasizing the need to embrace change, overcome adversity, and navigate toward a thriving future.

This presentation is not just a parable but a motivational call to action, inspiring attendees to harness their resilience as a beacon of hope in their professional journeys​.

Key Takeaways

  • Leverage resilience as your superpower to transform adversity into opportunity.
  • Learn three game-changing questions from the four archetype personality types to outperform your competition and emerge stronger in rapidly changing realities.
  • Embrace a self-coaching mindset to take charge of your own destiny.
     

Mastering the 5 Platinum Principles of Service Excellence

Based on the principles outlined in his book Be the Spark, Simon’s keynote experience explores how organizations like T-Mobile, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and Delta Air Lines have achieved remarkable productivity and success by implementing a service-focused framework.

This keynote experience emphasizes transforming customer interactions into deep, meaningful relationships while nurturing a culture of care within organizations to foster customer loyalty and create unforgettable service experiences​.

Key Takeaways

  • Discover a framework that ignites passion, cultivates devotion, and breeds unwavering customer loyalty.
  • Transform customer transactions into lasting connections.
  • Create a paradigm shift in management by nurturing genuine care for employees.
  • Unleash “emotionologists” who create memorable moments for customers.

Forget Your Title and Transform Your Job

A shocking majority of the global workforce is quietly quitting. Some employees have reached their breaking point, actively seeking to sever their ties with their employers. Still, some employees have untapped potential, and their brilliance is concealed. However, some are not waiting for management to nurture and empower them.

They’ve unleashed their potential by leading without a title and propelling the organization to new heights. This keynote teaches you how to become a Thriver by working with the organization instead of against it and transforming your job from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

  • Learn the five imperative skills that empower team members to thrive instead of just survive.
  • Learn how to positively influence the fence sitters on the team and quiet quitters to be accountable by adding value.
  • Push open the door to your potential, embrace your strengths, and move yourself, your department, and the organization into a brighter future.

Talent Short Bio

Simon T. Bailey is an award-winning keynote speaker, leadership strategist, author, and founder of BrilliantU™ and Brilliant Coaching™. With over 30 years of experience including service as Disney Institute’s Sales Director he has empowered more than 2,400 organizations across over 50 countries to unlock their true potential.

Recognized by Success magazine as one of the Top 25 people to impact your life, he blends storytelling, research, and motivational strategies to help audiences rebound from setbacks and thrive with purpose and innovation.

Simon T. Bailey is a globally recognized speaker, author, and expert on personal and organizational brilliance. With over two decades of experience, Simon has inspired millions through his dynamic presentations, coaching, and best-selling books. He is a catalyst for positive change, guiding individuals and organizations to discover their inner brilliance and achieve extraordinary success.

Simon’s journey to becoming a motivational speaker is rooted in his profound understanding of customer service and leadership. His compelling storytelling and actionable insights have made him a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences, corporate events, and leadership retreats worldwide. His mission is to unlock the potential within each individual, helping them to shine in their personal and professional lives.

As the founder of the Brilliance Institute, Simon has developed innovative programs that transform organizations by fostering a culture of excellence. His expertise in customer service and leadership has earned him accolades from industry leaders and a reputation as one of the most engaging and impactful speakers of our time.

As a speaker, Simon’s influence is profound. He has delivered over 1,000 keynote presentations to more than 2 million people in 45 countries. His engaging style, coupled with his ability to connect with diverse audiences, has made him a favorite among event planners and attendees alike. Simon’s presentations are not only inspiring but also packed with practical strategies that attendees can implement immediately.

Simon T. Bailey is a transformational speaker whose insights on customer service and brilliance have made a significant impact on organizations worldwide. His engaging presentations and practical strategies empower individuals to unlock their potential and achieve extraordinary success. As a thought leader in his field, Simon’s influence extends beyond the stage, inspiring positive change in the lives of his audience.

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Talent Videos

Meet Simon T. Bailey: Igniting Brilliance in Leadership, Life & Purpose

A short, powerful message on how organizations can thrive by putting people first, upgrading their “verbal software,” and embracing a spark mindset of service and accountability.

This video emphasizes that human-centric organizations of the future will prioritize people over property. Accountability, it says, isn’t about blame it’s about making others better. Even a small spark of encouragement can give people the confidence that “we’re going to be okay.”

The speaker highlights that language is the software of the mind—how we speak to others can uplift or diminish. And every day, whether serving guests, solving problems, or meeting others at their most critical points, we have the chance to embody the spark mindset: not just about what we do, but about who we are when we show up to serve.

Key Moments

00:00 – Thriving companies of the next decade will put people before property.
00:12 – True accountability means making others better and lifting people up.
00:30 – Small words of reassurance can give people strength—“we’re going to be okay.”
00:48 – Our words upgrade or downgrade the “software of the mind.”
01:00 – Serving guests, solving problems, meeting people where they are—the mindset is about both doing and being.

Simon T. Bailey shares a deeply personal and powerful message on how to embrace your calling, make an emotional commitment, and build authentic connections to unlock breakthrough living.

In this inspiring keynote, Simon T. Bailey challenges us to ask: “Who do I have to become to experience a breakthrough?” With automation threatening millions of jobs, he argues the greatest opportunity in history is for us to become creators—people who live their calling with emotional commitment and connection.

He shares his journey from failure in vocational high school to being inspired by his English teacher, to rising at Disney, and learning from mentors who reminded him that brilliance lies within.

Key Moments

00:30 – Who do I have to become?
Automation is eliminating jobs, but creators have the greatest opportunity in history.
03:40 – Miss Rita Lanis & discovering calling
An English teacher who saw potential unlocked Simon’s path.
09:20 – Lesson from Disney’s president
Knowing who you are and why you’re here is the foundation of leadership.
14:00 – Rational vs. emotional commitment
Why passion and purpose outweigh obligation.
20:50 – The “15-7-30-90” formula
Daily habits for emotional congruence and alignment.
30:10 – Meeting a “slashy” in South Africa
Embracing multiple callings tied to core skills.
38:00 – Leadership redefined
The role of leaders is not to motivate but to invite others on a journey of self-discovery.
46:15 – Final words from his father
“I love you. I believe in you. Put God first.” A legacy of love and faith.
50:30 – Moving from me to we
Love and respect have no color—together, we are better.

Simon T. Bailey shares powerful insights on operational excellence, customer loyalty, and human capital rooted in his experience at Disney and applied to modern organizations.

In this keynote, Simon T. Bailey builds on global research showing why the world’s most admired companies consistently outperform their peers. He highlights that operational excellence isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about staying connected to the real-time voice of the customer.

Drawing on lessons from Disney, Simon shares how customer loyalty is built through touchpoints in the customer journey. Every interaction, big or small is an opportunity to create a meaningful moment. He illustrates this with a story of being sent into the Disney parks, broom in hand, only to realize he wasn’t there to sweep streets he was there to create a once-in-a-lifetime memory for families investing thousands into their Disney experience.

His core message: organizations don’t just deliver services, they create moments. By focusing on operational excellence, trust within teams, and human capital development, businesses can transform everyday interactions into loyalty-building experiences.

Key Moments

00:45 – Research on admired companies
Why the best organizations outperform peers in growth, profitability, and operations.
02:10 – Wisdom from Dick Nunes (Disney)
“The higher you go, the less you know”—the importance of removing filters and staying connected to reality.
04:30 – Operations & customer voice
How Prime Therapeutics keeps customer needs at the center through trust and cross-team alignment.
07:50 – Customer loyalty through touchpoints
Every step in the customer journey is a branding opportunity.
10:40 – Disney story: broom in hand
Simon shares his transformational lesson—he wasn’t hired to do a job, but to create moments.
14:20 – Families invest heavily in Disney trips
Why understanding customer sacrifice and value is key to building loyalty.
16:15 – “I quit my job at Disney and went to work at Disney”
The mindset shift from tasks to moments that define customer experience.
18:00 – Real business of organizations
No matter the industry, success lies in creating moments that build trust, loyalty, and growth.

Talent FAQ's

Absolutely, topics and coaching are tailored to audience needs and organizational goals.

Programs include Resilience@Work, Spark Customers for Life, Release Your Brilliance, and Leading with SPARK.

Typically ends between $25,000–$40,000 for U.S. keynotes.

Talent Resources

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