New Member Profile: Silver Business Solutions
Meet Christine Silver, owner of Silver Business Solutions. To welcome her as a new member of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, we recently spoke with Christine to find out more about her and the company.
Tell us a little about Silver Business Solutions.
My company has been helping managers solve people problems for 18 years. From performance management practices to conflict resolution to solving problems, I work with managers at all levels who are responsible for a group or team of employees. The managers learn skills, like how to give feedback that actually works, and they have a safe and confidential place to talk about people problems so we can figure out how to solve them.
Where and how did you get your start in this type of business?
In 2002, I found myself at the pinnacle of my Human Resources career and ready to stick a pencil in my eye. My two favorite parts of HR were employee relations and training/development but my role at the time also included compliance, compensation, and administration. I was invited to a leadership development workshop led by a Bay Area consultant and knew within ten minutes that I was going to work with him. One thing led to another and he took me under his wing. I learned his content and methods, left my traditional career, and threw in with his firm. For the first decade, most of my work was live group training for leaders. Occasionally I had the chance to coach people individually and I discovered how much I loved this work. Sometimes people would talk about interpersonal conflict and I found an affinity for helping them work this out. I trained with the Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz and learned more about mediation. Eventually, individual coaching and mediation came to the forefront while group training faded into the background. My feet said thank you.
What services do you offer and what makes you unique?
I offer one-to-one manager and career coaching, one-to-one (or very small group) management skills training, meeting facilitation, and conflict mediation. People have told me repeatedly that I make difficult topics easier to swallow. They’ve also said I’m an unusual blend of eccentric and capable. I snort when I laugh, I’ve performed monologues with Barbies since 2010, and I’m an artist. I’m a member and board member of the Emerald Art Center in Springfield and just sold my first piece. I’ve been trained by The Coaches Training Institute, Heroic Public Speaking, the conflict resolution center, and have a degree from San Jose State University. I’ve coached and trained over 4,000 people and I’m always learning about humans and myself.
What do you like most about your work?
I love coaching people because I’ve found many of us have few places to be real, to speak freely without consequences so thoughts and feelings can come out for viewing, and to look at the options for action. Never having had that safe place myself, I live for the chance to be that for someone else. Especially in business, where the stakes can be so high, people need a trusted advisor so they can take right action and speak well. One client recently said she appreciates how well I listen and reflect the main points. When people are trying to work out hot topics, this is needed.
Do you have any advice for others you’d like to share?
If you’re faced with a tough problem, name it and find all the options you can – good, bad, impossible, everything. Use software if you need, but this diagram works just fine. Challenge yourself to name ALL the options, even the ones you think won’t work! It’s amazing what can happen when you surface all the possibilities. When people are faced with terrible job situations and we do this, I’ll throw out, “Well, one option is to quit.” People usually don’t like this one, but the power here is identifying it AS an option. Get them all out before deciding what you will and won’t do.
Silver Business Solutions LLC is a business consultant that helps people who lead people. Executive coaching, conflict mediation, organization and individual goals, communication, and more.
