Hire a vExpert
Neat trivia, you get one star for each year you are a vExpert. I’m proud of having 10 stars, but there’s still room for more…
Last week, I was honored to be named a 2022 VMware vExpert. I’ve been privileged to hold the vExpert designation for 10 years, first being named in 2013 and then every year since. If you aren’t familiar with the vExpert award, you should really check out some of the amazing blog posts that have been done over the years by the community of people who carry that distinction. Because there are so many great posts out there detailing both what the vExpert program is as well as some of the benefits of being named a vExpert, I don’t think I can add much in the way of value to that conversation.
In fact, aside from my almost obligatory yet still very true statement that I am deeply appreciative to be a part of this incredible community - I’m not going to talk about why I feel so honored each time “the list” is announced. Instead, my intent today is to talk about something that I feel passionately about: why you should seek to hire a vExpert. Frankly, not to limit this post to just the vExpert program, I’ll extend our scope to why you should hire someone who has been named to an influencer program like Microsoft’s MVP, VMware’s vExpert, Cisco’s Champion, and so forth. I think these are candidates you should actively seek to recruit, and hopefully by the end of this short post you’ll agree with me.
My honest-to-goodness unfiltered reaction back in 2013 when I found out I was named a vExpert for the first time. You can tell its vintage from the laptop.
First, let’s level set that while a vExpert, MVP, or other influencer program is not a technical certification, it does connote some level of familiarity and casual comfort with the technology domain in question. I’ve never met a vExpert who didn’t know what vSphere, VMC on AWS, or Horizon was or how they can be valuable to an organization. The same is true of an MVP – it’s effectively impossible to find someone who has that distinction who can’t tell you quite a bit about Azure, 365, or Active Directory. So while I’ve heard relatively little shade being thrown at these programs, I do occasionally see it thrown on the grounds that it’s not a certification that requires an in-person defense to achieve. While that’s correct, it misses the point – there are VCDXs and Microsoft Master certifications for that. I still contend that you will be unlikely to find a vExpert who cannot add immediate value to your team, so let’s jump into why
The first thing that comes to mind is that these influencers and evangelists naturally do what most technology managers can only dream of their staff doing: they learn and explore on their own time. This comes in multiple forms, but all of them are beneficial. Some spend their time blogging and creating content for the community as a whole. Others write books, create podcasts, or host events for people to come learn something. Virtually all of these require near-constant self-development in order to create or host meaningful, up-to-date experiences for the community. As a result, they are routinely getting better and learning without the need for expensive training. But here’s the thing: if you do send them to training, they will probably get more out of it than anyone else on your team. They will be hyper attentive because it’s not just something they have to do for their job; they genuinely enjoy learning about the technology.
I’ve had a lot of conversations with IT managers who are struggling because their staff (or at least a plurality of folks on their staff) are resistant to change and development. I’ve written before about how IT isn’t an industry marked by change as much as one that is defined by it. Consequently, having folks on your team who don’t keep their skills sharp is a substantial liability that can take a ton of time and effort to correct if it doesn’t come naturally. You simply will not have this problem if you hire someone who has been named as an elite influencer in their area of technology.
Even better than them being intentional about keeping their skills sharp is that these people are experts at leveling up people around them, so the likelihood that they will make your entire team better is extraordinarily high. As a hiring manager, I implore you not to discount this benefit. By hiring someone of this caliber for your team, you are - whether intentional or not – investing in making your entire team stronger. Perhaps not surprisingly if you know one of these people, it won’t even be viewed as an annoyance or extra work – they live for that opportunity, so much so that they actively seek it out when they aren’t in the office. Having the opportunity to share internally will almost universally be received as both a vote of incredible confidence as well as a fun opportunity.
Aside from keeping their technical skills sharp, these evangelists are constantly in-the-know for how their industry and affiliated technologies are changing and maturing. This is materially different from keeping their hands-on technical skills sharp insofar as one involves knowing which buttons to press to get the desired effect, while the other is an understanding as to where the industry is going. This allows them to know which buttons to press to keep your company well-positioned for the future. This isn’t hyperbole; as a vExpert, I’ve been privy to multiple NDA briefings that keep me ahead of almost everyone around me. In fact, there have been a few times that I’ve scooped my account team, and when they asked me if I’d heard about something I was able to wow them with how well-briefed I was. Consequently, I’ve been able to make architectural and technology decisions with inside knowledge of how the portfolio is going to be modified time and time again. We’ve avoided headaches and capitalized quickly on new technologies as a result. Think of having one of these influencers on your team like having an extension of the product team sitting in your office.
Of course, not every vExpert (or MVP) can know everything about the entire market offering of the company who has granted them the title. That would be insane – you can’t expect a vExpert who is deep into EUC technologies to know every quirk on running the Avi load balancing stack. And that’s when their impressive network can come to bear. These people have a Rolodex like you can’t imagine. I’ve gotten into a few jams in my time and been able to text someone who literally wrote the book on the topic I need help with. I’ve had conversations over a hard cider with people who have forgotten more about vCenter performance than I will ever know. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with C-level executives from VMware multiple times, and product managers and technical marketing folks more times than I can count. The thing is that it may sound it, but I’m not bragging because almost every vExpert has the same experience. By being in such a community, you unlock the door to being one degree of separation from some of the very best in the business.
A picture from the 2019 vExpert party at VMworld in San Francisco. I can’t tell you how much expertise is in this room. It’s a lot. Like, a real lot.
Because of my vExpert status, I’ve been able to get advice and support that would cost many tens of thousands of dollars to get from a consulting or professional services organization. Granted, I’ve also helped people who have asked for support in areas in which I am strong. This give-and-take is a real benefit to your organization that you shouldn’t overlook. Even if someone does this just once a year (which would be uncharacteristically low), you’re talking about real savings as well as rapid progress that you might otherwise have had to wait to book some support for. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to add this level of knowledge networking to your team.
While I could continue to go on about why you would benefit greatly from bringing an influencer or evangelist onto your team, I hope just this brief overview has given you something to think about. If I have convinced you and you want to know how to try to find these incredible potential team members, you can do a few things. The easiest way is to just check out the publicly available listings that most companies put on their websites. The other way is to simply search social media for the hashtag of your choice related to the discipline you’re looking to hire for. Trust me - one of the best parts about being a vExpert is that we’re always connecting with each other, so if you’re trying to find one you won’t have to look very hard. Most of the time, we’re literally wearing shirts that proclaim our status.
And what if you can’t find a vExpert for your team? Well, I would suggest that while finding an awarded influencer is a guarantee that the person in question is a connected, always curious, and growing individual, those people do exist without the vExpert or MVP (or whatever) designation. If you can find someone who is always trying to get better and loves to share their knowledge with others – you’ve found a potential vExpert or other influencer. These kinds of people will have an incredibly positive impact on your team. How could they not? They level up each person that they work with. My advice is to hire them quickly and then encourage them to apply for the influencer program best aligned to their skill set – because the best part about these communities of influencers is that new members are always welcomed.
Questions for reflection:
How would it level up your team if you had someone who actively enjoyed learning and sharing that information with their colleagues?
Have you ever considered someone’s status other than a certification with a vendor when you’ve interviewed or hired them?
If you could hire someone who had access to leadership at a strategic vendor of yours, what would that be worth to you?
