Introduction I saw a recent post on Thomas LaRock’s blog (Blog | @SQLRockStar | SQLPeople) about The Mentoring Experiment. The Experiment The Mentoring Experiment is a(nother) brain-child of Steve Jones (Blog | @way0utwest) and Andy Warren (Blog | @sqlAndy | SQLPeople). As with their previous endeavors, this new venture is profound ...

This post is cross-posted at the new SQLPeople Wordpress blog (in beta as I type this). Introduction I debated including this post on elegant events in my series about managing technical teams and the software business. I find a lot of what I've learned in the community maps into both that series and good management practices (the opposite of ...

Introduction I was honored earlier this week to present at Steel City SQL - the SQL Server Users Group in Birmingham Alabama. I've also had the opportunity to work alongside Tracy Hamlin (blog | @tracyhhamlin) this week. It's given me a fresh perspective on the amount of work it takes to build and sustain a user group, and reminded me of the ...

Introduction Every now and then, everyone needs a break. How do we respond when community leaders need a break? How should we respond? It's Normal People are cyclic animals - humans are diurnal by nature. We eat at regular intervals and are most comfortable when things go according to schedule. This is the lizard brain in action. So it's ...