Jen’s Diary: Who you should meet at PASS Summit… and why.

I have been made busy with PASS activities this week!

I have travelled thousands of miles to be at PASS Summit 2014 this week. Therefore, if I am jetlagged, please don’t be afraid to give me a hug or supply me with a hot coffee!

If you are attending PASS Summit 2014 for the first time, there are plenty of opportunities to meet speakers, other PASS Board members and delegates.  Speakers are pretty easy to find at their sessions, so I will leave that with you. However, I’d like to point out a key folks that you should meet:

SQL Server Clinic – Some informal delegate feedback I’ve personally received has said that a drop-in session and speaking to the CAT team was well worth the PASS attendee fee on its own. I don’t know if you realise it, but this Clinic is served by the most deeply technical and senior folks who know about SQL Server and Azure. So, if you have any problems in your organisation, head on over to get them resolved. You simply won’t get better advice that straight from the team themselves, so why not give it a try? Here are the details:

Room 4C
Work through your technical issues with top Microsoft Customer Service and Support (CSS) engineers and get architectural guidance from the SQL Server Customer Advisory Team (SQL CAT) and SQL Tiger Team.

Wednesday
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Thursday
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Friday
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Women in Technology Lunch

I’ve been really interested in this piece although the PASS HQ team are the ones who have done a wonderful job of organising it. Sometimes I’m better off not interfering and leaving them to work their magic!

I’m deeply honoured that we are having a keynote speech with Kimberly Bryant of Black Girls Code.  If you want a sneak preview of Kimberly’s other discussions, then please take a look at her inspiring story here.

Note that the Women in Technology session is not just for women! Future leaders should attend this session.

If you are interested in being a leader in your workplace, then you should definitely attend the session. If you manage teams, you will have to be aware of issues that your team members may face. Therefore, if you want to be a leader who leads, rather than a boss who has to stamp their feet to get things done, then  one thing to think about is what a leader does.. A leader inspires, and people naturally follow a leader. To get the best out of people, it’s all about listening to them, I think. Leaders empower and inspire, and they are different from a boss who has to kick butt to get things done. Be the leader! That’s why Women in Technology, and the issues Kimberly discusses, are important to everybody.

PASS Board Q & A

the PASS Board Q & A is an opportunity to meet the Board members (of which I am one). We will be attending the Community Zone throughout the PASS Summit, and feel free to come and talk to us. I see a my role on the Board as a dot-joiner – I see it as empowering other people, making those connections happen, and trying to help steer the ship to help as many people as I can. For me, I like the Servant Leadership perspective and that’s how I aspire to be. So please do come along and join us. I look forward to meeting you there!

Kind wishes,

Jen