Brandon Wilson

CPC, ELI-MP

It was the kind of day that was hotter than it should have been- where air conditioning feels like a breath of fresh air.

I was sitting in a sterile, florescent-lit office space pondering the question: What is your Leadership Purpose? (aka- why do you do what you do?)

I was 32 years old, completing a leadership academy through my employer, ADVISA, a small leadership consultancy just north of Indianapolis. Life had felt a bit aimless for the past few years. It’s not that I wasn’t happy- I had a job that I found to be fulfilling and cared about my coworkers, but this question was hitting at something deeper. For years, I had been asked about my passion and I couldn’t give a clear answer- I love music; I love theater; I love connecting with people…

It was in a moment of silence on that September day of 2016 that the realization hit me- the thread that ties all of the elements of my life together: my purpose is taking people on a journey- to meet them where they are and help them see themselves and their world a bit differently- to shift their perspective. In that moment of epiphany, I began to see my life through a new lens.

Growing up, I was drawn to theater- from acting to stage lighting, I was fascinated by how quickly you could impact the feelings of the people in the audience through a pause or by adding a touch of color to the backlight. Alongside that love of theater was writing and performing music- learning that if I created a crescendo in the music that was immediately followed by a whispered phrase, you could hear a pin drop in the audience. After college, I taught theater and music to middle and high school students; my greatest joy was watching a student’s confidence grow to the point of singing a song in front of peers. While at ADVISA, those moments of joy came from the lightbulb moments where leaders recognized something within themselves that they could harness to reach their true potential.

I had found my purpose.