Laura sets the stage for today’s conversation by reminding Chad of when they first met, several years ago, and she was struck by how different his business and office space was. She was attending a 2-day workshop in Columbus, and the Choice Recovery office was a field trip / live demonstration of inspired thinking and leadership in action. She reminds him of how he had a Think Tank rather than a conference room, and initiates an exploration of his mindset, practices, and beliefs around business, leadership, culture, growth, and how he thinks about people.
“If you don’t know yourself, there’s a huge disconnect in your ability to lead,” explains Chad Silverstein, as he and Laura talk about how he’s created – and is creating – success in his life and how it extends to everyone with whom he works.
Chad explains how, even though he’s responsible for the success of his businesses, he’s never focused on the income. “It’s (revenue) the result of what you’re doing with the people, with your growth, and the growth of your team,” he says. He goes on to share some insights into his personal growth journey, working closely with his coach, Chet Scott, Founder and CEO of Built to Lead.
Laura notes that Chad’s leadership style and commitment to investing in his own personal growth and that of his team is unique, in that so many people end up in leadership positions they are unprepared for, unwilling to take the time and make the effort to invest in their own growth, and sometimes view developing their people as a way to “fix” them when things aren’t going smoothly.
They talk about what it means to craft one’s OPUS (vision, values, beliefs, etc…), share it with others, encourage others to craft their own, and work together to create bigger things in the world. This heightened level of awareness drives Chad to do most things opposite of standard business practices.
His team works flexible schedules, is known for holding each other accountable, and are encouraged to discover what lights them on fire and are supported in pursuing it – even when it takes them away from his company.
One example he shares is the story of one of his Collection Reps (Choice Recovery is a collections agency – one unlike any you’ll have ever encountered!) wanted to change the world. After some exploration, Chad gave her the job of helping people find jobs so they could actually pay their bills. It started slowly, but the growth has been remarkable.
Six years in, they’ve helped 700 people, and started a second business called [re]start, which is now changing the way employers and candidates connect and fill open positions, based on objective knowledge about one’s unique abilities and best fit in work roles.
Essentially, as Chad says, he watches what’s going on in the world and businesses around him and does his best to think into and do it differently!
To learn more about Chad and his work, look here:
[re]start
Choice Recovery (collections)
Learning Platform
Built to Lead
Chad Silverstein, founder and CEO of Choice Recovery, Inc., [re]start, LLC, and Platform Partners, LLC, has worked in the Healthcare Accounts Receivable industry for 22 years. Chad has developed and refined his personal philosophy throughout his career and integrated them into his businesses and relationships with clients, teammates, and his community, focusing on: purpose, responsibility, kindness, and love.
Chad has participated in many leadership and career development programs that have been catalysts for his growth, including graduating from several Dale Carnegie Development training courses, engaging his team with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), joining Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach Game-Changer Entrepreneur Program, weekly executive coaching with Built to Lead, and becoming a Kolbe Certified Consultant.
- 2013-2019 CEO Magazine and Business First Top Work Place winner – 7 years in a row
- 2016 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics Winner
- 2016 Columbus Business First ranked Choice the #1 best medium size business to work for
in Central Ohio. - 2017 Columbus Business First ranked Choice the 2nd best place to work in Central Ohio
- Nationally recognized Insidearm.com Best Places to Work winner in Collections 2013-2016
- 2019 Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
