Reflections on Volunteering to Lead

This shirt is like a collector’s item these days.
We’ve upped our graphic design game.

In 2011, I was not yet a VMUG Leader and I attended one of the biggest annual VMUG events in Boston. VMUG had rented two large harbor cruise boats, the Odyssey and the Spirit of Boston, and parked them next to each other, and was holding sessions on the boats. If you were there, you know that this was as epic as it was risky – the weather held out, but if it had rained, it was going to be unpleasant. Also, they’re boats, so they weren’t exactly setup for breakout sessions. Still, it was a successful event.

I was considering stepping up to becoming a VMUG Leader, and had a lunch meeting with VMUG President Mariano Maluf, who had flown up from Atlanta for the day to see the “VMUG on the boats.” I remember being amazed and humbled that the president of VMUG wanted to talk to me about being a VMUG Leader. I took it as a good sign and we talked about what it would look like to become a more active part of VMUG in New England.

I signed on that day and haven’t looked back since. The past decade (I’m rounding up) has been an amazing run of building, caring for, and ultimately handing off the Boston VMUG, serving globally on the Board, and now I have the honor and privilege of not just talking to, but actually being the VMUG President. Sometimes I think back to how awestruck I was to be able to chat with Mariano - the VMUG president - in Boston, and juxtapose that with how weird it is that now that’s me when I find myself connecting with VMUG members, or in a room chatting with Pat Gelsinger, Sanjay Poonen, or Michael Dell. It’s been a cool ride.

I’ve gotten to do some fun things, for sure

I’ve been reflecting on this role quite a bit over the last few weeks, as I needed to decide if I was still committed to serving as president. During that time of reflection, it not only became clear to me that I was still totally committed but that serving this organization in this capacity has been the undisputed highlight of not just my time in community - but of my career.

This is a cool role in that no matter how much I put in, no matter how many different things I sign up for to give back – I keep getting more back than I bargained for. I understand now why Mariano wanted to come to Boston to see the “VMUG on the boats.” It’s the same reason I want to meet members around the world – their energy fuels me because there are so many cool things going on within VMUG and the vCommunity.

I’m terribly excited and honored that this past week, I asked for the VMUG Board of Directors – a group I have incredible respect for and admiration of – to allow me to serve as VMUG President in 2021, and they voted to do so for my third (and final) term. Knowing it was the last time I’d have the opportunity to be elected into the role has been bittersweet, but I still have a busy 15 months of leading ahead of me so I’ll save the melancholy for a post closer to December of next year.

VMUG is a community like no other – a community of passionate technologists who see the IT landscape as something more than just a bunch of wires and silicon. I have benefitted professionally and personally in ways I couldn’t have imagined early in my career. I’ve made true friends on almost every continent (still looking for Antarctica), and I’ve been able to see our community grow by almost 50% in my time on the Board. I’ve developed better presentation skills, consensus building, and of course a few skills wrangling the cloud along the way.

I believe that VMUG has a ton of opportunity in front of us. I asked the Board to vote for me because they believed what I believe in, and they resoundingly approved. That gives me great confidence for what’s ahead for VMUG. I’ll be talking more about that as the weeks go by, but know that if you’re a VMUG member you have a team singularly focused on providing you more opportunities to learn, grow and connect that ever before.

I’ve used a lot of words to get here, and maybe that’s because I’m just really excited about what 2021 looks like for VMUG. It certainly has been a fun introspective, but you may be asking what this has to do with you. It’s a fair question, so let me answer it.

We really did give a way a lot of home labs…

I suppose the takeaway that I want you to come away with is that you never know where volunteering is going to lead you. I started in 2011 by just thinking I wanted to help organize some VMUG meetings in the Boston area. I didn’t have aspirations to lead one of the larger local groups, have two UserCons a year, or be able to do a live admin skills challenge in front of hundreds of people and give away dozens of home labs. I didn’t plan on joining the Board – and it wasn’t even in my wildest dreams to be in the position I’m in now. I just wanted to help out in my neighborhood.

And the same can be true of you. I think you do yourself a huge service when you find something you care about and volunteer to spend your time towards it. I’m a better IT professional because I’ve volunteered my time with VMUG. I know people who are better lawyers because they volunteer their time working with underprivileged youth. Others have become better leaders because they serve the homeless population in their area. The point is – you owe it to yourself and your community to not just be one thing. Don’t just be whatever your job is; it leaves you too one-dimensional – and that limits your creative thought and expression.

If serving others isn’t exactly motivating you, then let me offer you two things that I’ve discovered about being involved in something outside of work. First, if I have a rough day in the office – and we all do occasionally – I can spend time doing something I love and it can lift my spirits and energize me. So in that way, it’s almost like “bad day insurance.” The second thing is that no matter how much I try to give back I keep seeming to come out ahead. I keep getting so much growth out of it that I almost feel guilty. So, know that supporting nonprofit professional or community organizations can also benefit you.

I think volunteering has been one of the main fuels that has supported my career and personal growth. I’m confident that if you find something you’re passionate about that you want to support it can be the same thing for you.

Questions for you:

• Do you volunteer with a group you care about? If not, what can you volunteer towards?

• If you’ve donated your time towards a group or project before have you ever gotten more out of volunteering than you thought you would?

• How do you stop yourself from becoming a one-dimensional version of yourself? Is it an active effort?