An Interview With Chad Silverstein

…We hire people who we believe are great fits to retire at our company. This ensures they’re adding to our culture when they come on and that they have a vested interest in helping our team grow and improve…

Purpose has become the new currency of success in today’s workplace, and leaders who prioritize mission-driven cultures are standing out in the war for talent. To explore this important topic, we are interviewing Sri Kumar, President and CEO of Connico.

Sri Kumar is the president and CEO of Connico, an aviation and infrastructure consulting firm, where he leads with a purpose-driven approach to culture and business. With Sri and his trusted team at the helm, Connico has nearly doubled in size with near-zero turnover — a testament to his philosophy of hiring with long-term growth in mind. Sri believes that a strong workplace isn’t built on policies or perks but on a foundation of core values, trust and investment in people.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

It’s embarrassing to admit, but I got into my career because I was lazy. When I toured Michigan State (my alma mater), they concluded the orientation session with breakout groups inside the Engineering Building. The orientation leaders divided us based on the field we wanted to go into, but I wasn’t sure yet.

I asked the program director, Dan King, where the various sessions would be held. His answer: “Mechanical engineering is all the way down this hallway, about a quarter mile. Chemical engineering is halfway down, then take a right, then walk to the end of that hallway. We have a great biomedical engineering program — they’re up on the third floor. And the civil engineering session is in the room you just came out of.” I did a double-take and asked, “This room right here?” to make sure I’d heard him right. He confirmed.

No way was I doing all that walking. I sat back down in that auditorium, and here we are. I took a job with Connico, a small aviation and infrastructure consulting firm that I got a call from one day, right out of college. I’m proud to say that my entire career has been with this company and I’ve seen it grow into a thriving, industry-changing organization. So, you never know — the right choice might just be the one in front of you.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working in leadership, culture building, or purpose-driven organizations?

The most “interesting” story is by far the most important story. Simply put: Connico’s founder, Connie Gowder, believed in me.

Although I joined Connico in 2011 (21 years after she founded it), and despite the fact that we came from different generations, she saw that I had a passion and drive to put my absolute all into everything I touched. She accordingly rewarded me with more and more responsibility — though she really made me work for it! As I took on more projects, I began working more closely with her, which let me see the company’s inner workings and what it took to be a CEO. When she passed unexpectedly in 2021, we had only completed a small part of my training, but she trusted me — and a couple other key players at the company whom she knew I’d need — to carry on her legacy. Losing our founder and CEO, and on top of that losing the ability to ask her questions or for guidance, was a huge setback for us. But we were eight people when I joined in 2011; 13 people in 2022. Now, we’re 36 and growing, doing business in almost every state in the nation. This is the resilient, high-quality company that’s been around for 35 years. Not sure it gets more interesting than that.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

MOST instrumental?

Curiosity. I remember an interview that Alex Trebek did, many years ago, in which he was asked his perspective on why he’s good at his job. His answer: “I’m curious about everything, even things that don’t interest me.” Many people claim to be “lifelong learners,” but imagine how much you’d learn if you had an insatiable appetite to discover more about the things you find uninteresting. And how much could you learn that might change your opinion of what’s interesting in the first place?

Tenacity. I’m not a giver-upper. When my friends were watching football on Sundays at the bar, I was on my laptop. When a major runway construction schedule required night shift followed by day shift, I was at every meeting.

I’ve talked about this story before: when I was in college, my mom, sisters and I went ice-skating at a local rink, just for fun. I have a condition where the bones of my foot and ankle sit a few inches lower than they should, so wearing any hard boots causes me awful bone pain. I could skate for a few minutes, but then I had to sit down. I kept this up for maybe 30 minutes when finally, as I sat on the boards, my sister Kiara came over to me. She looked me right in the eye and said, “I hate seeing you in pain. You know, you might just have to sit this out. You might have to accept there are some things you can’t be good at.”

Now, I skate every week. I can do crossovers in either direction, hockey stops and skate forwards and backwards. As soon as she gave me that “pep talk”, I decided that I would not give in to any limitations. I think I picked up this value from my mom, though she probably doesn’t even know about the skating… There’s no better motivation for me than to learn that something is impossible! (One secret: figure skates have softer, more flexible uppers, instead of the hard plastic form of hockey skates!)

Embracing weaknesses. We spend a lot of time capitalizing on our strengths. But you’re already good at those things — what about what you’re NOT good at? For example, I was always bad at sales. At conferences or events, I just felt like I couldn’t connect with people, and I hated the effort that went along with it. So, in addition to doubling down on my interpersonal skills, I found people who WERE good at sales and gave them the opportunities. By spending my time on what I was bad at (and then asking for help when I needed it), I saw the most ROI.

Let’s now jump into the focus of our interview. What does a “purpose-driven culture” mean to you personally, and why do you think it’s critical for attracting top talent?

In the old way of work (yep, I used the word “old”!), you’d show up on your first day, be shown to your dark closet and asked to push as many papers as possible. After five years, they’d open the closet door and move you to a dark cubicle. As long as you kept your head down and kept the paper moving, in another 25 years they’d hand you a cake and a gold watch and send you on your way to finally live out in the real world. The purpose of going to work was to make it to the day when the cake was served.

People don’t want that anymore. They don’t NEED that anymore. In fact, what they’ve discovered they need is something bigger and better than cubicles and watches, more meaningful than briefcases and promotions: they need to feel like they are making a contribution somewhere. Sometimes the contribution is toward bettering their skills, contributing to their family or building something greater than themselves. In all cases, they want their days to be filled with meaning — and they want the company to help them live this dream. That’s a purpose-driven culture, and anyone who doesn’t see it at their workplace will go work somewhere they do see it. Like it or not, society has embraced that life is too short to spend tied to a desk.

How did you identify and define the mission or purpose for your organization? Was it inspired by a particular event, challenge, or insight?

Our mission is really simple: build the best place to work. Our mission doesn’t rely on spreadsheets or reports, areas of business or units of inventory; just being a fantastic place for our employees to show up to every day. It’s different from any other mission out there — until people read this, I guess!

It was inspired by my drive to do something different and impossible. Any business can scale to 10,000 employees, 10,000 units or 10,000 offices. In fact, many have, and they’ve done a better job than I could do. So I wanted to do something no one has ever done before. What if the entire foundation for our company ignored everything we know about business, and just built a place where people could learn, grow and thrive?

What are the key steps leaders can take to embed purpose into the day-to-day operations and decision-making of their companies?

Every decision should come from your core values. At Connico, we talk about our values at every opportunity. This includes project kickoff meetings, virtual coffee breaks, all-hands meetings and innovation round tables. Centering on our core values allows us to approach these conversations, our work and our future aligned, which has propelled our efficiency and success.

Our other trick: we have what I’ll call a “secret language” that we use inside the company that refers to our vision. It allows us to easily communicate about our goals and help people stay aligned with the mission. No one has to feel bad about being asked to stay on-mission and living out the purpose because it’s normalized as a form of support.

What role does leadership play in championing and modeling a purpose-driven culture? Can you share an example of how you or another leader helped reinforce your organization’s purpose?

“Everything rises and falls on leadership,” our leadership coach John Barrett would say, and that sums it up completely. I coach other leaders to be aware that they are always on stage: every word, every movement, every email is watched, and, like it or not, you’re judged on it. Leaders have to model everything because that’s the first building block. Additionally, leaders have to have a contagious passion and energy. Chief Happiness Officer JoAnna Brandi, with decades of research on purpose in the workplace under her belt, gives leaders the task of pouring positive energy into others each day. This lifts others up, helping them build purpose for themselves and the organization!

We try to keep some of this stuff under wraps, so as an example goes I’ll only say that some of the decisions we’ve made about how we as owners communicate the vision of the company to employees, and to show them their own personal path forward, have made a huge impact.

How do you handle skepticism or resistance from team members or stakeholders who may not immediately understand the value of focusing on purpose?

This one’s easy: educate, coach up, coach out. First, we want everyone to understand what we’re doing — the reality is that not everyone understands what it means to have purpose, why having purpose is so impactful or even agrees that work should be purposeful. The next step is coaching: once they have the knowledge, we want to coach them on HOW they can live out their purpose and inspire others around them.In 99% of cases, this allows someone to live out their purpose and help build this culture for their teammates, too. If we repeatedly see employees or clients who don’t align with our values, we have productive and positive discussions to help find new paths for them.

Ok, let’s talk strategy. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent”? If possible, please include examples or stories for each.

1. Connico is doing something no other company is doing: we hire people who we believe are great fits to retire at our company. This ensures they’re adding to our culture when they come on and that they have a vested interest in helping our team grow and improve.
2. Don’t be distracted by the problems that all businesses have: bad days, lost pursuits, employees who aren’t perfect fits or clients who demean your work. Organizations have faced these challenges since the dawn of time and they are unavoidable, so do your best to have a system that minimizes the damage when they occur.
3. Focus your energy on your core values. They are what fuses the atoms at the center of your star and all the energy comes out from there. Then, build a team around them. Your employees will be the ones who set the standard and as they do, your other problems will start to take care of themselves.
4. Give your best every single day. It’s easy to be good at your job and be inspirational on good days. On bad days, when you didn’t sleep well and the furnace is leaking and it’s raining and you stub your toe and your oatmeal explodes in the microwave and you find a letter from the IRS in the mail … that’s when you have to work your hardest. You still have to put on a smile, you still have to get to every email, you still have to respond calmly in a crisis. That’s when your leadership skills are tested and people are watching you to see if you act with purpose — and if you still believe.
5. Recognize and reward your teammates. No one does it alone, and people who appear to have done so have generally taken advantage of plenty of folks they’re not mentioning. Nominate your team for awards, work on your compensation and benefits, offer praise and appreciation regularly and do the odd thing every now and then like sending them a birthday card or asking after their kids so they know you see them as a person and not a number.

Can you share a specific example of how embracing a purpose-driven culture helped your company attract exceptional talent or achieve a significant business goal?

Where to start with the examples? I talked about this earlier, but we’ve tripled in size in three years, both in personnel and revenue. Only three people total have left Connico in the last five years — I don’t know any companies that have that kind of retention, particularly through years like 2020. Our 35 employees speak more than a dozen languages. In 2022, we had employees in three states; we now have employees in 11. There are only four states left in the country where we haven’t worked. Our small team issued 387 deliverables last year — that’s more than one a day — and has worked at 381 different airports. We expanded outside the United States for the first time in 2024. And it’s all because we have a team that believes in themselves and each other. They come to work each day for something bigger than the reports and numbers!

What advice would you give to leaders of smaller companies or startups who want to build a purpose-driven culture but don’t know where to start?

DEFINE your purpose! You have to figure out what makes you tick, and then start sharing that vision with other people.

What are some common mistakes leaders make when trying to create a purpose-driven culture, and how can they avoid them?

I see so many people poring through books, reading magazines, digesting hours of podcasts, but none of that will get you started. In this universe we all live in, to get something moving, you must apply force. You can sit around brainstorming all day but until you start doing the work, you won’t notice progress.

I also see people trying to build special programs or get cutesy with it. Your employees don’t need Pet-A-Horse day or a curling league — what they need is to feel valued, and to feel like they are adding value. Skip the BS. Once you finally do build that productive, purpose-driven organization, you can assign a committee to determine which animals to bring into the office!

How do you ensure that your organization’s purpose evolves and remains relevant as your company grows and the world changes?

Before we send an offer letter, we ask ourselves if this person will fit and enhance our culture. It sounds funny, but I think of it as my grandmother’s delicious soup — no matter how many ingredients you already have in the pot, something new can amplify the dish and turn it into something better! That’s what the right hire does. They help the company’s culture evolve and remain relevant.

What trends or shifts are you seeing in the workplace regarding purpose, and how do you think these will shape the future of business?

People are clamoring for more and more purpose every day. As the world flattens with instantaneous communication, anything that’s out of alignment is instantly identified and then magnified. A bad workplace, a bad boss and even a bad interaction with a coworker detracts from the feeling of purpose and of making a difference. Organizations will need to double down on reducing these setbacks and bolstering the culture to prepare for when they do happen — because no one is perfect.

Right now, society also is struggling to define what purpose is. As a result of what we experienced in the last few years, there’s sort of this widely-Instagrammed belief that purpose comes from NOT working. But the data shows that many people who’ve experimented with that have reversed course. They actually find that putting in effort to achieve a goal is one of the few things that DOES create satisfaction. This is also why independently wealthy people often continue to work, and why we’re seeing more and more retirement-age folks stick with their teams and keep giving it their all (and why many of those beachside influencers put in 14-hour days off camera). It turns out purpose takes effort. Businesses will have to help people realize this.

In your opinion, how does having a purpose-driven culture impact not just employees, but customers, clients, and the broader community?

Positivity is contagious. When someone believes in something, and believes they are doing something, it lifts up everyone around them. Our goal is that our clients and communities will start raising eyebrows. At first, we expect they’ll be angry: “How come you all don’t work in a dark corner like I have to!? How dare you have flexibility?! How dare you respect others’ opinions!” Shortly after, though, reflection must set in: “Why should I do this to myself and get nothing out of it, when those Connico folks feel so good about what they’re doing? Why should we keep running our people into the ground just to run our business into the ground?” This is going to lead to a change in the very landscape of work.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people by building purpose-driven workplaces, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

At one point, I hoped our innovative and provocative mission would start a movement in our industry to redefine the landscape. Now, I believe we’re starting a movement to change the entire world of work. All organizations need is to live out the mission of making work great.

How can our readers further follow you online?

Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Connico Chronicles newsletter at connico.com for my takes on culture, industry shake-ups and the occasional story that makes me think (or laugh). Bonus points if you enjoy deep dives on leadership, innovation and why good teams are like great soups.

This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.

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Sri Kumar of Connico On How to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.