Nathan White’s Post

Des Moines Advertisers! Join AAF of Des Moines for a little baseball.

Andy Erickson is a great guy and is very enthusiastic about helping businesses grow. Reach out to him if your organization could use extra insight.

This is so real. But since I’m a manager, it hits a little differently. I know that sometimes I am the singer. There are obviously two perspectives here. The team feels like they understand the system. They know how to make it work. They execute the plan and take action to keep things on track. A change, especially a big one, can throw everything into chaos. The new change can feel like an attack on what they have worked so hard to build. Or even worse, it can feel like their contribution isn’t valued. We’ve all felt this way. The manager needs to recruit the team to take the change or at least ensure their perspective is heard and they know it is valued. Remember that being a visionary isn’t the same as being a fortune teller. It’s likely that every scenario caused by the change hasn’t been considered. Start with a firm goal. Listen to the objections. Some of the issues your team is pointing out may keep the goal out of reach, so pay attention. As the leader, you are responsible for the direction. If the goal is still worthwhile, take responsibility for the decision and tell the team, “We’re going to do it anyway.” Be honest about the challenges you see and acknowledge there will be challenges that no one sees. Tell them that you trust their valuable experience in the current system to help everyone navigate towards the new one. Hopefully, the change will be easier than you, and the team, were expecting. Video credit to pinlounge on Instagram

Fighting food insecurity is important to me. That is why I am proud of the Pack the Pantry campaign, which leveraged the influence of KCCI-TV and Hy-Vee, Inc. to raise awareness of hunger during a season when it is often ignored. Scott Smith contacted me last winter about developing a partnership on this issue. The ideas developed into a week-long effort with impact: 35,580 lbs of non-perishable food and personal care items were collected, and $32,680 was raised through round-ups at the register, resulting in 347,830 meals for food-insecure neighbors. 31 Hy-Vee stores collected and distributed donations. 55 local pantries have received donations. Promotion for the program ran 312 times across all KCCI broadcast channels. Digital ads received more than four million impressions. Every newscast for a week reminded viewers of the need for food in our community. The Pack the Pantry campaign has highlighted food insecurity, which affects one in ten Iowans at a time when the need is as high as it’s ever been. Hunger won't be solved with one meal. Please consider donating to your local pantry or the Food Bank of Iowa: https://foodbankiowa.org/

I can't recall ever seeing a fade-to-black near the start of a promo. Mark Peterson tried it out, and it elevated an already solid production a little bit more. After any significant weather event, we produce a Proof-of-Performance promo. There's always lots of footage to sift through, and quick decisions are made on how to showcase Storm Team 8's great work. Mark and Amanda Countryman did an excellent job with this one.

A great culture is easy to spot and hard to build. Join me at this AAF of Des Moines luncheon, where we’ll learn how Spinutech has developed its culture.

Go behind the scenes at the biggest media event in Iowa. I’m interested in learning how they build a brand around this special election.