The Bible is supposed to be a lamp to guide our path. It’s also a sword. Sadly a lot of people think that sword is a purely offensive weapon. When used properly, it’s a pretty nasty sword that cuts to the marrow. Except it’s supposed to cut to your own marrow.

As I write this post, I’m more than well aware of my last post which sits right below this one, unedited. And the book of James (actually, a very challenging book for this motor mouth with a broken filter to read). In James 1, James speaks of a “Double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

But here I am. A double-minded man of sorts. Actually, I’m not double-minded about these things. I’m more fork-tongued on it. I speak – I type – without a ton of analysis. And I allow myself to get carried along. And I mean to convey my full heart and end up conveying only part of it. Often the part I’m most incensed about at that moment. Lately, you could maybe call that a presidential trait… But it’s not one I admire or aspire to, yet. Here I am.

While I still stand by my words below and my ponderings – I never really took the thought anywhere. Steve Jones recently posted “I want PASS to survive.” So do I.

Sure….

We can (and do) spontaneously organize user groups, local and regional SQL Server events, big conferences like SQLBits, online “communities” like #SQLFamily. We even see spontaneous things where “veterans” of the SQL Server world invest and offer their time to mentor folks just coming in the world of Data and the Microsoft Data Platform. We have GroupBy. We have folks making phenomenal content out there independently.

But…

There’s just something about that PASS. PASS is an old friend – but it’s more than an old friends. In so many ways – PASS has helped to shape my career. The people of PASS, like I said on that post. But you know what? The people of PASS includes the people who run it. It includes the people who put on an event that is way larger than any of the events that community volunteers put on. It’s also the relationships between Microsoft and the community.

I’m an Idiot

I get carried away. You know what? And this is going to really suck to say it because it’s really embarrassing – because I’ve also been railing on and on about how annoying the pitchfork and torch mentality that permeates the media and our political landscape is. Why do folks get incensed about something because of a headline deep understanding of it?! And here I am, not quite with a frothing pitchfork in my hand as sharp or a torch as bright as some (whose posts I won’t share) “angry” at what some “nameless” “faceless” company is “doing‘ to PASS. OOPS. I’ve become the very thing I claim to hate. I sit here judging this or that for doing something and then I duck down, slink under this standard I’ve set up, and I’ve engaged in the same behavior.

You know. C&C is not a nameless, faceless organization. They are the faces you see running around everywhere like crazy at the PASS Summit. They are the organization paying for the audits. They are the organization setting up the sites. They are the ones getting chapter leaders e-mails setup. They are the one managing a huge membership list and serving us. They are the ones trying to work with the Board to carry out a mission and watch a budget. I can tell you that GDPR is a pain, more than a couple folks who make and engage in training content have learned that – PASS is compliant there. They protect our data. They receive payments for events and pay speakers for their Pre-Cons.

You can’t do that all with a volunteer organization. Sure. You can run a Group By with one, or with a company volunteering their time to run it – with a potential (and well deserved!!!!) return on that investment in terms of a niche client. You can run a single – smaller than PASS – conference a year with an all-volunteer organization. And put on an AMAZING event (that one of these years maybe I’ll be able to speak at! – SQLBits/DataGrillen/etc) But I don’t think you can run an organization like PASS that way. So we can either bounce around from Association Management Company to Association Management Company and have a different experience each time potentially and have the board in “Next Management Company Search Mode” all the time. Or we can be married (for good or for bad, in sickness and in health) to a company that actually wants us to Survive – actually needs us to survive. You see. In that other post, I picked up on the negative aspect of that. That doesn’t have to imply a parasitic relationship, though! It could be a symbiotic one! And I think it is one!

And you know what. I love PASS HQ. As an often-time speaker, as a user group leader, as an attendee, as a member – HQ staff work their tails off and it shows. And I will miss their faces this year. And the fact that I even KNOW their faces and will miss them – says something.

As I sit here and think of my conclusion – I think PASS is more than just one of the things. I really think it is an organization with merit and value. At my company, I just hired 5 new Support Team members over the past year and a half. All brand new to the SQL world. And when I think of what organization would I want them to know about and learn about? It’s PASS.

So…

My old friend, PASS, is sick. Heck, I contributed to the sickness by that missive below this one (Yes, I had good points and I stand by the ones that are good 🙂 ), but I don’t want to see my friend die. I want to see them survive and pull through.

Our current board is great. They are people who don’t care about hiding truth or doing selfish things. There are no conspiracies. There are pressures, there are budgetary decisions, there is the added hatchet that is CoVid and the summit canceling.

Somehow I got into this funk. This anger. And I wrote my friend off. That’s happening way too much in America right now. I want to stop doing that so far as it depends on me.

I won’t be voting for anyone who is coming at PASS with a pitchfork and a torch at the BoD season. I was actually tempted to run myself – but I don’t want to – I don’t deserve to serve on the board of PASS right now. I need to be more single-minded and learn to articulate my thoughts. Plus I’m trying to lead a 14 (or is it 15? I don’t know) person SQL Server consultancy and that’s hard enough for this person who is still learning what it means to be a leader. And someone who needs to read the book of James once a month and remember to “listen instead of speak.” The board doesn’t need more spittle and foam-mouthed speakers. It needs more people like the thoughtful and listening members we have right now.

I don’t know what’s right long term. But I don’t think the answer is “Make PASS a purely volunteer-driven organization.” I think that’s actually the worst thing we could do for the long term success and growth.

I’m going to follow in Steve’s steps. I’m going to get that pro-membership for myself. I’m not going to even ask them – but just buy one through my company for each of the aforementioned support folks also once I click “Post” on this blog post. I’m also going to sign up to attend the Summit. I may not see the content live – we’re busy 🙂 but I don’t care, I’ll see some. I’m going to see how we can get the support team to attend and see if any Pre-Cons are right for my team and figure out how to help hold down the fort for each other while we attend sessions. And I’ll offer the rest of the team pro-memberships as well and buy those tomorrow.

I want PASS to survive. And I want to see what we do to change our future. Maybe we don’t do a big annual summit. Maybe it’s a big summit every 2 years and smaller ones. Maybe it’s more local and regional. Maybe more content goes up onto the Pro Site – from folks who love PASS and want to share – for the sake of sharing and helping the next generation. Maybe more online stuff. I don’t know.

But I’m laying my pitch fork down. I’m laying my torch down. And, frankly, I’m embarrassed that I even picked one up. Some recent posts and chatter made me realize how I’ve been clanging in the wind. I’m sorry for that.

Now. Let’s figure out how PASS can survive.