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Dave Bader fancies himself a juggler. Not of chainsaws or bowling pins, but tasks. His talent for multi-tasking has come in handy during his career, first at Capital One and now at Mission Lane, where he spends a good chunk of his day communicating and collaborating with coworkers. Read on to learn more about Dave, which Oreo special edition is the best, and why imposter syndrome isn’t a bad thing.
Name: Dave Bader
Job Title: Director of C/R Strategy & Analytics
Company: Mission Lane
Length of time at current company: 6.5 years
Length of time in industry: 12 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
My first job coming out of college was at Capital One and I moved into the collections/recoveries organization as part of my first rotation. I’ve been in that space ever since.
What is your career highlight so far?
A career highlight has been building out an internal offer management platform. When I first joined Mission Lane we were a scrappy start up that often had to leverage third parties to provide C/R functionality. Building an internal system was incredibly rewarding as it illustrated just how far we had matured as a company and allowed us to unlock the abillity to customize our offerings.
When or how are you most productive?
With two young kids, I’ve become a morning person. I like to wake up early to work out and check off things on my to do list while the rest of the family is still sleeping and the house is quiet.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
I’ve had the privilege of reporting to Becky Raschke for 4 years now. The thing I admire most is how much she cares about our customers and helping them to get back on track. She truly lives up to our company mission and rallies the team to provide unparalleled customer service while helping them to resolve their debt.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I have a talent for multitasking. I can juggle multiple priorities at one time and still make sure that each gets the necessary attention to move the project forward in a timely manner.
What do you like most about this industry?
On the surface, most of my friends & family outside the industry kind of cringe at the term “debt collector”. However, in my decade of experience I’ve seen how much of a difference we can make in customers’ lives. Rather than view ourselves as adversaries, we are able to treat our customers as partners and come together on a strategy to resolve the debt. There is nothing better than hearing a customer’s gratitude when we’re able to find a solution with them to a problem that they peviously thought was impossible.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
While regulatory controls are absolutely necessary, sometimes they are written in a way that hamstrings our ability to help customers resolve their debt. I wish there was a more open communication channel between industry experts and regulators to clarify these areas and remove roadblocks.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I’ve always been interested in real estate investing, though I have yet to take the plunge. I love my job but if I wasn’t doing this, I’d probably be trying to find a way to break into real estate.
Describe a typical work day.
My work day is filled with interactions with my team. Between Slack, email & meetings, i’m always talking to a coworker. This collaboration allows us to work effectively on big projects even in a remote work environment.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Admittedly a pretty boring guilty pleasure, but any time I see a new variety of Oreos at the grocery store I have to buy a pack and taste test them. Nothing will ever top the “Most Stuf” variety in my opinion, but I’ve never had a bad flavor. Oreo simply does not miss.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Don’t sweat imposter syndrome. Particularly early in my career I’d often feel like I didn’t know what I was doing or that I wasn’t qualified to speak on a certain subject. The fact of the matter was that, even as a relatively new member of the collection industry, I was still more of an expert than most of the company by virtue of living & breathing this stuff every day. It’s a lesson I’ve done my best to pass on to my team – stay humble and continue to learn but don’t be afraid to speak up and voice your opinion.
What are you currently reading?
I tend to listen to personal finance or investing podcasts and then sprinkle in fiction for my audiobook. I’m always looking for new Sci-Fi or Fantasy recommendations (big fan of Brandon Sanderson).
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m always looking for an opportunity to learn something new and apply it to our strategy.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Joe Romans at Credit One and Kelvin Marin-Solis at Happy Money. Both are former coworkers that have since moved on to other opportunities but continue to work in the industry.
