We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Simeon Brown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Simeon below.

Simeon, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

There are a lot of factors that play a role in success. Talent, skill, opportunity, luck. To me, the most important factor that leads to success is persistence. And persistence can play out in a couple of ways. First off, persistence can be displayed in the way most people consider, never giving up. Failure is inevitable, and having the persistence to try again is crucial to obtaining success. Second, persistence can also be displayed in preparation. Think of the most successful people you know. They all put countless hours of preparation into their craft in order to reach the highest heights of their field. 10,000 hours as the saying goes. There are countless factors that go into the journey and destination we call success, but persistence is the key factor, in my estimation.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m an Attorney by profession, but journey to become an Attorney wasn’t conventional. I studied biology in undergad, but quickly came to realize that I didn’t wan tot go the medicine route as I intended. I was fortunate enough to gain an internship at NASA and my eyes were opened up to the possibility of working with people that care about science, while also being able to utilize my communications skillset. Fast forward a few years later and I’ve been practicing energy law for over two years, balancing the interests of businesses and state citizens. Serving the public interest is important to me so I’m proud of myself for being able to find common ground in my profession with my interests and skill set.

I also have a myriad of personal interests that I pursue in my free time. I have been involved in theatre, music, and athletics for as long as I can remember, with over two decades of experience. In high school I was a member of an a capella quartet that won $30,000 for my school over two competitions. I also played several sports in high school and continued to play division 1 football in college. Since I graduated from law school, I’ve gotten back into acting and have been involved in two plays in the last two years. Keeping a balance in my life has always been important so I’m proud of myself for pursuing my personal interests while still achieving my professional goals.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I spoke to this slightly in my answer to another question, but I didn’t always think I would pursue a career in law. I went to college with the intention of pursuing a career in medicine. I started studying biology, but then I came across some upper level chemistry courses that challenged my perception and desire to continue down the medicine path. I pivoted and found a love for the environmental studies side of biology. Still, I was unsure of where that interest would lead me. I gained an internship with NASA studying what’s known as the urban heat island effect in the city of Richmond, VA. To be honest I didn’t really enjoy how I spent most of my time during that internship. But importantly, my project partnered with city officials and a local non-profit and my eyes were opened to the possibility of working in a field that clearly cared about people and science, but not delegated to primarily sit behind a computer. From that experience I decided to apply for law school and now I am practicing energy law with some environmental elements, geared towards making sure citizens are adequately considered at the state level.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I’ve been involved in many team settings. Sometimes serving in delegated leadership positions, sometimes not. The best advice I can give for managing a team is to lead by example and learn how to delegate responsibility. Above all else, understand the importance of communicating with people. Some of the most talented teams have been derailed by a lack of or breakdown in communication.

Image Credits

None