Associate Spotlight: Nick Sexton

Nick Sexton

Customer Acquisition Manager

Born and Raised

Indianapolis, IN

Biggest Fear

“When I was a young kid, I was absolutely terrified of water and I hated the idea of swimming. There are EXTENSIVE videos and pictures of my parents’ attempts at swim classes, needless to say they were quite entertaining to see, as I was the kid with 4 different arm floaties and a tube around my waist. I would not learn how to swim under any circumstances, I just screamed from the moment I was near a large body of water until we went somewhere else. One day, I was sitting inside my house, my family members were having a disagreement and nobody was paying attention to my baby sister, who was playing near the pool. She did end up falling into the pool and I was watching with terror at the fact that no one was around to help her, but me.

It took a few seconds for me to just think back to my swim classes and actually decide that I was going to try to apply what they attempted to teach me. I jumped in and moved my arms and legs in different directions, I finally got close to her and put my arm around her. Swimming for the first time and having to also pull someone was beyond difficult, but a few moments later we were by the edge of the pool being pulled out.

This story still often gets told at family get-togethers, but that day I realized something that I still hold to this day. If I didn’t HAVE to jump into the pool, I would never have learned to swim. But once I did face that fear, I realized that all the help I needed was there all along. It was up to me to just apply what other people had tried to teach me. Now, I remind myself often to really LISTEN to the mentors around me and attack my fears, because those fears only hold me back.”

What do people not know about you?

“ I enjoy reading about Greek mythology.”

Why SilverFern?

“Well, the people that have met me and know me are very aware that I’m not the most talkative person on the planet—I think the word used to describe me by others is ‘indifferent’."  He said with a chuckle. 

"That being said, I like the diversity here. The people, they are so different here and everyone’s experience is so vastly varied from person-to-person. The diversity here provides a great environment for people like me, who like to work with other people and not by themselves in a cubicle.”

What advice would you have given yourself a year ago?

Being the silent type that Nick is, he took a moment and answered with this simple statement.
“Attack everyday with a passion and a purpose. No matter what you are doing, just attack everyday with that passion.”

One day you just picked up your things and moved to Chicago, that must have been a hard decision—how did you just come to that decision?

“I grew up in Indianapolis and lived in Bloomington, IN for quite some time. I knew that I wanted more for myself and I’ve also always wanted to live in a bigger city. So I had a few interviews scheduled and when I found this position, I learned about the advancement opportunities it would provide and took the job. 

I just told myself that when I crossed the border from Indiana to Illinois, I wasn’t going to go back without getting a job in Chicago and making that next step towards my career. So, I packed up as much of my things as possible and made the move. Now I'm here and I think that decision was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Associate Spotlight: Casey Russ

Casey Russ

Assistant Manager

Born and Raised

Bolton Landing, NY

A Pivotal Moment

Growing up in a small town, Casey was involved with lots of sports, his favorite being baseball. When he first started with baseball, Casey described himself as a ‘short and pudgy’ child—needless to say, he wasn’t very good. He was also disappointed to find out that when he attempted to make the T-ball league, he didn’t even make the team and was placed in the minor T-ball league.

His mother took him aside and told him “Don’t let someone not choosing you, keep you from achieving what you want”.

Casey recalls this moment as being his most pivotal moment. He spent the next year practicing as often as possible and ended up surpassing T-ball and going straight into little league.

His mother took him aside again and asked “If you sat on the bench last year when you didn’t make the T-ball league, you wouldn’t be on the little league team now.”

To this day, Casey remembers this moment and applies it to any situation that calls for him to work harder to reach his goals.

What do people not know about Casey?

“ I secretly love all rom-coms.”

What does this business mean to you?

“The best way that I can put this is that other careers are almost like you are on an island and fending for yourself both professionally and personally. Here, successful individuals surround me and they have all taught me something or other about the business and myself. These people commit themselves to helping me and that’s one of the main reasons why I am so committed to their success as well”.

You recently got promoted, Congratulations! What advice would you have given yourself a year ago that has helped you reach your goal?

He laughed and answered, “Put your ego aside. Humble yourself—there are people in this business who know more about success than you do. Don’t just be present when they try to help you, but listen to what they say, because they have already been in these situations and know how to succeed. The best part is that they will actually help you succeed and offer their help willingly, it’s just up to you to humble yourself and listen”.

Role Model

“Pete Rose—He wasn’t the most talented baseball player, but he never just took a play off. That’s what separated him from everyone else, his heart and his drive. He always gave 110%”

When life throws dirt your way

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The donkey cried miserably for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, the farmer decided that the animal was old and he would put him out of his misery. He invited his neighbors to come over and help cover the old well and say goodbye to the hardworking donkey. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

The donkey realized what was happening and continued crying, but within minutes and to everyone's amazement he quieted down. As the dirt began to pile up, the farmer looked sadly into the well, but was shocked at what he saw. 

With each shovel of dirt that fell into the well, the donkey would shake it off his back and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt into the well, the donkey took more steps towards the top. Pretty soon everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off. 

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, All kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells, just by not stopping, never giving up. Shake it off and take a step up.

Associate Spotlight: Steven Niday

Steven Niday

Acquisition & Training Specialist

Born and Raised

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Background

Steven spent most of his youth either watching or playing sports. His favorite sport was soccer, because he enjoyed playing with a group of people and working together towards victory. He ended up playing for the ‘Citadel FC Premier’ soccer league for 7 years; which only fueled his competitive nature. Although he may not play competitive soccer anymore, he continues to take that mentality and apply it to his career. 

What do people not know about Steven?

He loves all of the Pittsburgh sports teams. He also really loves dogs and one day would like to open a ‘no-kill’ shelter to save as many animals as possible.

What character traits does he admire in people?

“Honesty and integrity. There’s a certain level of trust I have for people that have those traits, I know that when I work alongside with someone that possesses those qualities, the job will get done the right way.”

Why SilverFern?

“You never know what you are capable of until you do something out of your comfort zone. That being said, I’m not the most talkative person in the world, but I love working with people, this gave me the opportunity to get stronger in the field of communication. I wanted to grow my skills and I’m definitely doing that here.”

Role Model

“My stepfather is my role model, he came into my family without any reservations. He really did take the father figure role seriously—he was the person that taught me that hard work and perseverance will not only pay off, but also provide me with the opportunities to succeed.”

Favorite part about this business

“This is a business where communication is key. We work with people and get to meet new people all the time. It’s pretty incredible to interact with so many different kinds of people in a city like Chicago, because of the diversity here. I just moved to Chicago less than a year ago and I always get to see something new.”

The seed of opportunity

A successful businessman in East Asia has been in charge of a company for over 20 years and is looking to retire from his position. He holds a meeting in his office and invites many people from his company to join him.  Once everyone is in the room, he starts explaining why he has brought everyone together.

“Hello everyone, I have asked you all to join me today so I can tell you that I will be retiring in a year’s time. I would also like to mention that the person who will take my place is standing in this room.”

The men anxiously looked at one another and all stood up a little straighter to await their boss’ announcement, but instead he walks around the room and gives each person a seed.

“ Each of you has been given a seed—take it with you and plant it, make sure that you take care of it—one year from today, we will all meet here and I will decide who did the best on this assignment. Whoever does the best job, gets to take my position with the company. Good luck to you all.”

Everyone is very excited and can’t wait to tell their families about this amazing opportunity. One of the men went home and planted the seed, excited about the possibilities that can come with this potential job. He and his wife can finally afford to start a family and move into a new house, if he were to complete this assignment to his boss’ satisfaction.  Everyday, the man watered the pot and made sure that it got enough sunlight for it to grow, but days and weeks went by without any progress.

Months pass and everyone at the office is bragging about their beautiful plants, but the man is embarrassed that his plant hasn’t even grown a little.  The man still did as he was told and took care of the pot of dirt that held his seed. On the night before the big meeting he spoke to his wife about this problem.

“I don’t know what is wrong but I think that this plant is defective, it won’t grow even though I try everything I can to give it the care that it needs. I’ve come to the conclusion that I will lose this opportunity if I don’t get a different plant. Everyone at work already has beautiful plants and mine hasn’t even grown!”

His wife looks at him lovingly and says, “You have tried your hardest and done everything the boss asked of you, be truthful and show him what happened.”

The next day, the man went into the office and saw that everyone had a beautiful plant beside them—large flowers and ferns grew everywhere. Embarrassed, he stood next to his plant while others laughed at his misfortune.

The boss walked in a moment later and greeted everyone with a smile; he then proceeded to look around at everyone’s plants before he returned to the front of the room.

“Thank you all for bringing in these beautiful plants, it seems that you have all taken care of them well. I would however like to speak with one individual, the gentleman in the back of the room. Please bring your pot and come to the front.”

The man walked up to his boss like a child waiting to be admonished.  He placed the flowerpot in front of his boss and lowered his head in shame while others around him tried to hold in their laughter.

“ Congratulations, you are the one who will be taking my position here!” said the boss.

The laughter instantly died away and everyone looked shocked, including the man with the empty flowerpot.

Their boss continued on “I gave each and everyone of you a seed a year ago today. Each of those seeds was cooked and could not have possibly grown to become these plants that are before you. I value the truth and I know that I can trust someone who isn’t afraid of being honest.  I choose for him to take over my position, because I know he will do the job correctly and with integrity.”

The moment that all of the other people decided to disregard the instructions given by their boss and try to fool the system for a ‘quick victory’ was the moment that integrity was thrown out the window. There are times in our lives when we have to make decisions of whether we do something the right way or the wrong way, it isn’t up until we imagine our success do we understand the importance of integrity.  It is better to have integrity than to have a victory that is based on dishonesty, because then it isn’t really a victory.