So thanks!
During this holiday season, one crazy family dinner down with more to go, I have been reflecting on the joy and good cheer brought into my life. How else can you survive the holidays?
The many people I am privileged to know through my work here at New Plains Media is one those things. Like any work family, this group has some quirks [more below], but it’s outside our building where I spend the most time.
I am grateful for my client relationships, but not always for the reason you may think. Sure, I like to get the sale as much as the next person, but I am most grateful for all of the relationships I’ve built for one very important reason — the ways my clients challenge me.
They challenge me to be a better professional and they challenge me to be a better person.
I’m grateful when customers share their problems with me. I’m grateful that I am challenged to be a better listener. I’m grateful when you show your trust in me when I offer recommendations. I’m grateful when you rely on us for creativity in problem-solving.
And I’m especially grateful to our independent, family-owned businesses, because that’s where I can usually make the most impact. Unfettered with ties to a corporate office, that sense of freedom and independence — usually the driving force behind their career choice in the first place — means that it’s usually just the two of us seeking better ways to better sales. We’re talking about their very livelihood, often in a brand with the family name on it, and it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously.
We’re a small, agile business ourselves, so I know how important a “We can do this, let’s find a way” attitude is.
And how does all of this make me a better person when I walk out of your place and head to my own?
I often ponder about how my two lives — professional and personal — intersect, influence and mold each other. The themes of listening, sharing, confidence, trust, reliability, problem-solving and ownership paint a picture of the professional I aspire to be.
And the better any of us are at those powerful attributes, I believe, the better we are as people. One cannot be separated from the other.
Even the clients that cause a loss of hair, a gnashing of teeth and loud wails, probably teach me even more.
And for that I am more grateful than you can know.
I am also grateful for the amazing team we have in the office — the people who support and execute our success strategies. So I took a walk around the office, interrupting the real work they have to do, to learn more about what they are grateful for this holiday season:
“I’m grateful for you,” Publisher John Heaston says to me with that look of someone thinking they might have the right answer. Explaining to him that’s not why I asked, he elaborates. “I’m thankful we have a great team, great customers, a great audience and we’re doing great work — media and marketing that matters. That means we can all spend more quality time with the people we love in the community we care about.”
I think he was just in his candy drawer. Bit sweet that one, at times.
Our talented Production Manager, Katiuska Núñez, is a native of the Dominican Republic. “I am grateful to be working in America,” she said. “Thanksgiving is not the same thing where I come from as it is here, but it is growing on me with each new year as an opportunity to give thanks with friends and family.”
We’re all growing on her.
Managing Editor David Williams, holds dear that he gets to nurture a new generation in his family. “I am grateful that I get to hang out with my 5- and 7-year-old grandsons, especially during weekend sleepovers or camping trips,” he said. “But I’m also glad when I get to send them home on Sunday so I can recuperate for our next adventure.”
Now I understand better why David always seems to be on an adventure.
Digital Delivery Director and OmahaJobs.com Manager Clay Seaman said, “Family, friends, school, the community … there is so much to be grateful for. I have a great family and am surrounded by wonderful people, so now is a time to also remember those who are less fortunate.”
Hopefully that includes everyone that’s endured a spontaneous Google My Business verification when he’s out shopping or dining, including his great family.
Our amazing Happiness Agent, Kati Falk said “I am thankful for all our great clients and thankful to God on Thanksgiving and every day for my health, my success and all my terrific co-workers and friends.”
We don’t call her Happiness Agent for nothing.
Account Manager Sal Robles loves the holiday season. “I am really thankful to be working in a place where I have the opportunity to learn about publishing and business firsthand. I am still in school and although I love the fact that the end of the semester is in sight, I love always having something to do!”
Clearly the kind of nephew that would stand in line on Black Friday for his aunt.
Client Support Services Manager Kerry Olson is most thankful for the future. “I can’t wait to build my treehouse in New Zealand!”
Here’s to living your dreams. Thank you!
