Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • Giving of Yourself

    Kathi Kellenberger is my colleague at Redgate, and fellow editor at Simple Talk. She is quite active in the WIT movement as well as other charitable endeavors such as LaunchCode. A longtime speaker and author in the community, Kathi has a history of giving back to help others.

    I enjoyed reading her editorial recently about some of the giving back that our team has worked on this year. It’s a good summary of the different ways that the Advocates have tried to do something for different parts of our community. Some of this was a normal “work” we might do, and some was separate, but these efforts are a part of the reason that we have this job.

    One thing I’ve been impressed with this year is how often I’ve seen members of the SQL Community reach out to help others. From support to listening to offers of help, I’m glad that we have found ways to give of ourselves. I’ve seen similar things in my community, and it gives me hope for humanity.

    I believe strongly that all of our should find ways to volunteer and help others in our lives. It might be when you are young, when you retire, maybe a few times a year, maybe every week, but we all benefit when we realize there is something bigger than us, and something more important than our own needs, wants, and desires.

    As we close out this difficult year, remember that whatever happened to you, likely there are people who struggled more. Look for opportunities to help others, in big or small ways, whenever you can. It could be with an organization. It could be a helping hand in your community or a moment that you seize and opportunity on the street. Look for a chance to play Santa, with a gift, a donation, or an act of service. It will do you a world of good.

    Steve Jones

  • An Experiment in Building Culture

    While I have found that some aspects of my job with Redgate improved with our move to remote work this year, I think others have deteriorated. I have spent lots of time over the years trying to build relationships with people in lots of different departments. This year, I’ve gotten lots of time and more communication with those I often work with, but the connections across groups have been limited. I have worried this is affecting the great culture at Redgate.

    We have a group of people who spend time trying to deepen and strengthen team relationships. They have a budget each year and typically try to plan different types of activities for teams, departments, and groups inside the company. During the pandemic, we’ve had some competitions (quizzes, exercise goals, best picture), and they’ve been good, but for our end of year celebration, they really did a fantastic job.

    First, I saw Kendra post a picture of her end of advent calendar. Interesting, but I wasn’t sure what I thought. Plenty of other Redgaters posted similar pictures, which intrigued me, as I hadn’t gotten anything.

    Then I got a package with a note not to open anything before Dec 1. It contained my advent gifts, 24 boxes, and I spread them out on a table. I opened the first few myself before my family got interested. Day 3 was a mug, which my wife promptly grabbed, washed, and filled. Since then I’ve been looking forward to seeing what I get each day, with my gifts slightly different than what my UK colleagues are posting each day.

    Each year we usually have a large award ceremony, fancy dinner, and dancing with partners and colleagues. We can’t do this year, which I had expected to be a big loss when each office gets the chance to celebrate together. We’re separated, but this gift was an excellent substitute. Some teams jointly together get to celebrate our individual moments of joy with co-workers, bringing us together in a unique way when we can’t be together as a group.

    Culture is hard to build and maintain, but Redgate did a fantastic job, despite the challenges. Hopefully some of you find your organizations trying to do something that brings you together as well.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • Join the New Stars of Data

    Standing in front of a group, large or small, was one of the most intimidating things to me as a young man. I hated making presentations in school and university to others. As I moved through my career, however, I realized that this was an important skill for my career.

    Often in many positions, I had the chance (or need) to debate, argue, or just present a viewpoint to others on my team or inside my organization. I had to train others, teaching them about our systems. I had to explain my decisions to management and defend actions. All of these moments required speaking and communication skills.

    You can take a chance and share something with others by submitting to The New Stars of Data. Their next event is in March, which gives you lots of time to prepare, practice, and get feedback before delivering a session. If that’s too soon, I’m we’ll see another GroupBy conference, SQL Saturday, or other virtual event that will consider you. I’d ask that all of these events reserve 10% of their slots for new speakers to their event. After all, it can be less intimidating to speak virtually, and there are lots of opportunities right now.

    Many of you might not think you’re smart enough, or an expert in some area. I’ll share a little secret with you: I’m not either. I often see questions at SQLServerCentral or in the Microsoft MVP email list that amaze and surprise me. I truly feel like an impostor at these moments, when I realize I don’t know or understand something.

    At some point in life I started to take chances and deliver small talks at work or user groups. I realized that I didn’t need to be an expert to teach something to others. I realized I could have some success, even without being the smartest person in the room. There are always people that know more, but there are always others that want to learn something simple. Level 101 talks are always popular and in demand.

    Take a chance today, and submit to the New Stars of Data. I’m happy to help you with an abstract, or give you feedback on a practice talk. William, Ben, and many others will help as well. Submit a talk, ask for help, and continue to grow your career.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

  • Your User Group Goals

    Many of you reading this piece have likely been to a user group at some point in your career. Some may go every month, some may go a once or twice annually , and some may not have been for years. I also know some of you don’t have a group in your area, or perhaps not enough people for a SQL Server group, but I would bet if you are working in technology, there are enough people to have some sort of technology group, perhaps even an online book club.

    Recently I was speaking with Andy Warren about his group in Orlando. He’s preparing to turn over leadership of the group to others, and he’s actually looking for comments on the docs he’s put together. I’d urge you to take a moment and think about your group and how you want it structured and check out what Andy has done. He’d appreciate comments on his effort, whether you are in leadership or just show up at meetings.

    Our discussion, however, was on goals. What goals are appropriate for the group, and what guidelines should he leave for others. He’s tended towards goals of “more”, meaning more people touched, more attendance at meetings, more events. I’ve tended to aim for more ensuring you keep people interesting, inspired, and with some engagement, but not worried about size.

    Whether you are in the leadership of a group, just an attendees, or wish you had a more interesting group of technical people to meet with regularly, what do you wish your group would accomplish next year? Are there things that matter to you for an organization outside of work that might help your career? Take a minute to think and leave me a comment today.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.