Who am I?

What is your brand? I've been asked this question a number of times over the past several months. It's very interesting how most, including myself, would begin to answer this question, and similarly what the expectations are on the receiving end. So how did I answer this question when first asked? Well, I started with something like; "I'm a Global Technology, Operations and Innovation executive with more than 20 years of experience in the Financial Services industry...", feel free to read the rest on my LinkedIn profile summary! I recently realized something that I somehow lost sight of, those who know me best know very well that my professional career and title do not even begin to define who I am to them.

Throughout my life I've led with my heart and ignored the limits that many, all with caring intent, felt obligated to warn me about and protect me from.

So who am I really, what has truly defined me? Here's an idea, how about we humanize the discussion rather than attempt to commercialize it!?

I was born in Toronto, Canada. My parents had immigrated from Sicily three years prior to my birth. My mom was a top performing factory worker on an assembly line and my dad was in construction, brick laying and cement sculpting like a master artist. The following are a few possible defining moments in my early childhood;

• Watching my mom cook with joy and passion as I played policeman and firefighter.
• Believing I could drive at the age of 6, I get behind the wheel and shift my dad's work truck into neutral, successfully reversing down my driveway, across the street, and onto my neighbours lawn.
• Escaping my dad's loving grasp, bravely attempting to run across Danforth Ave. to get to my mom on the other side - picture a busy downtown 4 lane, 2 way street, mid-day on a Saturday. If it wasn't for the car I hit, I would've undoubtedly made it! Blood gushing from my head all over my suit, my dad stopping traffic and getting into a strangers car with me in his lap, rushing to the hospital. This all made for very sad pictures on my aunts wedding day and a permanent reminder on my forehead. 

As I continued into my middle school years, a lack of speed haunted me, had I only been seconds faster I would've made it across that street! So I passionately studied and fell in love with the Cheetah, Rickey Henderson and Ben Johnson became my idols. I transformed myself into a 100m sprinter, fastest in the region, slowest of the city's finest.

Onto high school and my soul mate, love at first sight, for me at least. My friends warning me that I had set my sights too high, she was out of my league, I wasn't cool enough, and she herself insisted there was no chance she would ever date me. Well, I decided to ignore these fabricated limits, because with dedication, persistence and some luring with fries and gravy, there's nothing that can't be accomplished! 25 years later, we are married with 3 kids.

On to some more possible defining moments as I became an adult;

• Meeting my friend Simeon who introduced me to computer programming, instantly recognizing I had discovered one of my passions.
• Learning a life lesson in art class that would only dawn on me years later during my job interview with State Street, landing me the job that began my professional career.

University, State Street, Marriage, Kids ...

• Meeting my friend and mentor Jacqui who embraces me for who I am, coaching and guiding me to become an inspirational leader of change.
• The day of my grandfather's death, I accompany my dad to the hospital for a specialist visit and an endoscopy test for some stomach issues. As the doctor probes, he says; "Oh, this isn't good." The doctor elaborates in English and I proceed to translate in Italian to my dad that he likely has stomach cancer. As my family is mourning at my grandparents home, my mom asks me how my dad's checkup went ... the crying immediately amplifies following my response.
• My father dies of cancer at the age of 58, not making it to retirement and working extremely hard his entire life. His father had tragically died at the age of 36 attempting to break up a fight between friends. Being the eldest child in his family, my dad went to work construction at the age of 12 to support his mother and 4 siblings.
• My youngest son is diagnosed with a rare immune deficiency at 6 months old, the prognosis being dire and a bone marrow transplant being his only real shot. My daughter, 4 years old at the time, is miraculously a perfect genetic match. In the same day I hand my son and daughter over to the great doctors at Sick Kids Hospital.
• My dad's brother, my loving uncle and last remaining father figure, dies at the age of 57 from brain cancer.

I consider myself to be an extremely lucky man and I don't take anything for granted. I'm grateful for every day I have and am driven to make a lasting impact in the world through hard work, speed, dedication, and persistence. I love life and the people in it.

So what is my brand you ask? I'm Sebastian Blandizzi, I'm a leader because of who I am, not my profession. Who are you?