Chad Silverstein talks about rebuilding projects over 15 years and learning to balance work and life. He credits coaching from Chet with teaching him to listen more and speak last in meetings, and reflects on how patience and direct feedback shaped his approach to building.
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And there is this thing that I've learned and built to lead. I used to call it a flaw. It's not a flaw, but it's that you.
You.
You tirelessly work and you write and you write and you get these versions, and then, like, you got it. And then things change, and you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm literally starting over. I. A new expression. And I cannot tell you, on my builder's journey for 15 years. Yeah, I think I've done that probably four or five times, where I'm like, I'm starting from scratch.
Yeah.
Like, I'm out talking to a game, like, I have an opus, and I'm like, I'm starting over.
Yeah, that's a point.
It's crazy. And even Chet, like, when he first started coaching me on it and said, work and life, work and life. Do work first. It's easier. So I would have this choice, but I never connected choice to my life. I loved it. I found what I loved in choice, but it wasn't my life opus, and I could never integrate. And then as soon as I sold the company, all of a sudden, like, you know, you climb. You climb. You're on that plateau dip. Then you go up, and then you can see a little further out, and then. And so that.
It is.
It is a time game that you have to play. And like, people who are so impatient, they want things to happen so fast. It. It doesn't happen like that. Right. Like.
Yeah, yeah, you do. You. You'd learn it. It. We are on a journey, and. And, you know, baby's stepping it. And. And I probably like you. I certainly take a. A different approach, you know, to things. As I'd like to think I'm. I'm listening a little more. And. And many of the things that we talk to our clients about, asking better questions, you know, you got to keep working on that, you know, and being a good listener and. And it's a skill.
Yeah, it really is a skill. And no one teaches it.
Yes.
And like, productive actions. And actually, I remember taking on productive actions where I said, I'm going to be the last one to speak in a meeting, because I was always sharing. I always wanted to help.
It was just.
It was too much. It was overbearing, and it was like, you know, I'd shut people down. And I think there's a skill to it, but there's no book that teaches people how to do it.
Exactly. Yeah.
It's funny. It takes a builder to challenge. And, you know, for me, at Least Chet's challenges can be hardcore.
Oh, yeah.
And there were times where he. He coached me in front of my team. And, you know, you get put in your place, and it is. It is humbling because especially when he's right, you see it. You see it. And, you know, you could Triple D them all you want, but, like, when you're, like, you know, in public and other people see it, too, and they're too scared to tell you, and he's not. Yeah, boy. It's a.
It's a. It's an.
It wakes you up. It really does wake you up.
Yeah.
And I think that's another reason why a lot of people don't want to do it.
Yeah.
It's hard.
I know. I remember one of Chad's clients said to me, which I'm not going to say his name, but he said, yeah, man. He goes, I tell you, I had a session with him not too long ago. He said, I hate to admit this, he said, but it got so bad, man, that I actually cried. And I said, yeah, he coached me, too. You know, he coached me for a year. He goes, I didn't know that. Yeah. I said, yeah, he. He had me crying one day. He had me crying one day. I said, you know, he can get at you, baby. He can come after you, I guess.
When you sweet for the truth, you know, the truth sometimes hurts.
Oh, my gosh, it does. It does. And so we're. We're work in progress. We whip. We are a work in progress. And that's. That's the thing I keep remembering, although I have years now, you know, to look back and say, wow, that has been a journey, and it's changing all the time.
