By the time you read this, the Enterprise Data World (EDW) 2018 conference will have come and gone and all the excitement of being in beautiful San Diego, listening to amazing people talk about their passion for data, and networking with both old and new friends will be over. You will be a bit despondent (after all, the mood at a conference is very infectious), but also probably excited at everything new you have learned and want to implement.
You hopefully attended the DAMA I 30th birthday party and took home one of our adorable little DAMA dogs. I hope you also attended the exhibitions and did the rounds, seeing some of the great new technologies and applications, and hearing about the changes to the old.
So here are my thoughts on all this. I love taking back new ideas to my company. I always feel that they will welcome all that I bring back with open arms. And sometimes that happens. But more often than not it doesn’t. And then I get even more despondent. BUT, after that I get determined. I want them to listen and I want them to actually take note of what I learned and let me use it. So I start to consider how to communicate what I learned in such a way that they will listen.
And that is what I want you to do. Take the excitement back to your office. Share with your team and your colleagues. But more than that, don’t forget what you have learned. Write it down. Visualize it and create some images around what you have learned. Share them not just with your data colleagues but socialize them all over your organization. Don’t forget to connect with your favourite speakers on LinkedIn and Twitter. Catch up with the new friends you made during the crazy conference days – create conversations, meet up for coffee where you can, and connect to your local DAMA chapter. TAKE ADVANTAGE of everything that came your way at EDW. Whether you were there for the first time or are a 10-years-or-more veteran, the week of EDW is the place at which you get your Data Geek on and know that you are safe amongst all the other Data Geeks.
It’s a short column this quarter as I sit in the CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional) Exam room at EDW ensuring that all is well in the exam world. I think it’s a powerful reminder of what we need to do to continue maintaining and evolving our loved Data Management profession.
Keep on Trucking.
Sue Geuens – DAMA International, President
