23May 2016 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

PASS Board 2016: Update #3

PASS
I didn't post an update last month, but I did do something more important: I elicited your feedback on a question the Board needs to act on. Here's what I've been up to. First, based on your feedback (thanks) and conversations that I've had with members of the Board, I'm putting together recommendations for how we deal with payment and PASS-branded (but not PASS run, that's already covered in the By-Laws) events. I'll be presenting that in June at the in-person Board meeting. Speaking of the Board meeting, I've also been soliciting topics (although really, my priceless partner at PASS HQ, Vicki, is doing all the real work). We're also preparing the budget for FY 2017 (again, the real work is being led by an equally priceless Sandy at HQ). Beyond a series of…
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02May 2016 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

How to Convince the Boss to Send You to PASS Summit

PASS, Professional Development
August two years ago I originally posted, Make the PASS Summit Work for Your Employer. After conversations at several SQL Saturdays over the last couple of months, I decided to refresh and update that original content and post it again. I keep hearing how the job market has changed. That companies just don't want to pay for training any more. However, I don't recall any of my employers in the past ever actively wanting, desiring, begging me, please, oh, please, can't you go out to a little training? In fact, for the most part, I pretty much always had to beg the boss to send me out to training. I had to sell it. I don't think that's a new development. Let's review the selling points to help you convince the boss.…
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20Apr 2016 by Grant Fritchey 22 Comments

Payment and the Board

PASS
If you read the March PASS Board meeting minutes, you saw that there was a discussion around board members and payments related to SQLSaturday precons. The question is simple, for a PASS branded event, should a member of the PASS board receive payment? There are a couple of relevant facts. In the by-laws it says: “…provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Director from serving PASS in an educational or speaking capacity and receiving compensation upon approval by a majority vote from the Board of Directors.” That's very clear. If a member of the Board wishes to receive payment from PASS to put on a precon, they have to get approval of the Board. Next fact, PASS branded events, such as SQLSaturday, are not, because of…
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24Mar 2016 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

PASS Board 2016: Update #2

PASS
Time flies. I didn't notice that I hadn't posted an update in February. There’s been a lot going on since I last posted! I've attended the executive committee meetings. I've also hosted my first board meetings and I took part in my first Town Hall. I've been working with PASS HQ to set the agenda for upcoming meetings and we're starting the budgeting process for FY2017. I've got a couple of blog posts I've put together on the Board Elections (for my blog) and on the goals and plans for the EVP (on the PASS blog) that are going through an editing process. I should be able to share those with you soon. Today, I'm going to discuss a couple of things that I've been mulling over. They're things that…
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17Mar 2016 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

Opportunities To Talk

Misc, PASS
It's weird being an introvert who likes to talk to people, but what can I do. I like talking to people. I have a number of upcoming trips, quite literally all over the world, that provide us with the opportunities to get together and have a chat. First, I'll be at SQL Saturday Boston (the 500th SQL Saturday event, HUZZAH!), this weekend, March 19th 2016. I'll be talking about the Query Store and I'll be doing a presentation for PASS since this is a milestone event. The first SQL Saturday event in Boston was #34, six years ago, which I helped organize. It's been quite the journey. I'm going to SQL Saturday Madison on April 9th. I'll be talking about the Query Store and how to automate your database deployments.…
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29Jan 2016 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

PASS Board 2016: Update #1

PASS
Hello everyone. Just because I've moved on to the executive committee doesn't mean I'm walking away from these reports. I will continue to communicate all that I can about my role as EVP throughout the year. One of our commitments this year is providing greater insight into each of the portfolio roles, including the Executive. You’ll start to see more communications in the coming weeks of each of our roles. The last month has largely been about learning my new role. As EVP, my primary responsibilities include working closely with PASS HQ on finances and governance. Some of these responsibilities may seem tedious and mundane, but they are an essential part of ensuring that PASS delivers on its mission to provide our global community with the best professional development and networking…
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18Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 4 Comments

Speaker of the Month: December 2015

PASS, Professional Development
The hardest presentations I've ever given in my life were not to large audiences or in big rooms. They weren't even when I had to present in front of people that I respect and admire (although presenting in front of Paul Randal (b|t) & Kim Tripp (b|t) gives me pause every single time, not sure why). I don't mind presenting all day sessions. In fact, I love the all day format. Nope, the hardest presentations for me are five minute lightning talks. They're brutal. They're unforgiving. You have to stop. You only get five minutes to tell people whatever it is you're going to tell them. Then its over. I've done three lightning talks. One of them, a rant on backup testing, I've given four or five times. The others all died…
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14Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 4 Comments

One More PASS Board Update for 2015

PASS
Remember that post I wrote about taking on SQLSaturday events as my new PASS portfolio? Never mind.* Instead, it seems I'll be involved with a completely different role. Starting on January 1, I'll be moving onto the executive committee of the PASS Board and taking on the role of Executive Vice President. You can read the announcement here. While this means that I won't be directly involved in Chapters and SQLSaturday on a day to day basis, I will continue my engagement with Chapters until a new Director comes onboard and portfolio assignments are complete. As EVP, I want to stay engaged as possible in SQLSaturday in every way I can within my new role. I love SQLSaturday (and I don't mind saying, I was excited to receive that portfolio…
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10Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 5 Comments

Promote Community

PASS, Professional Development
When I present at any given event, I generally assume that the people attending have heard of the event that I'm at. For example, I don't need to ask people at SQL in the City, "Who here has heard of Redgate Software?" Same thing goes for a SQL Saturday event "Did anyone here know that there's a local, free, event being held that provides free training and networking in your area?" seems like a waste of time while at the event. However, what about the rest of the community? If you're working on your presentation skills, I'd like you to add one more bit of work to everything else you're doing (yes, yes, you're welcome). I'd like you to get in the habit of taking 3-5 minutes prior to the…
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09Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 3 Comments

PASS Board Update: First Year

PASS
This represents my 12th month on the board so I thought I would recap my time there so you know what I've done, haven't done, etc. A year ago I took over Chapters as my area of responsibility, what's known as my Portfolio. Wendy Pastrick had been ably running it quite well, so I had big shoes to fill. The first thing I had to prepare was a set of goals for the Chapters. I've blogged about them and the process and I reported on my success in meeting them (mostly) at PASS Summit this year. Over the year I've welcomed a number of new leaders, new Regional Mentors and new chapters into the fold. I've worked with Carmen and Karla at HQ, and we've done a good job (in…
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