I received some great news on Tuesday from IBM – I have been selected as an IBM Champion again in 2020! And not only that, but my colleagues Cognos Paul Mendelson, Sonya Fournier and Mike DeGeus were selected as well. This brings our total IBM Champion count at PMsquare to 4! I’m extremely proud of our excellent team. We hire only the absolute best Cognos resources and IBM recognizes it. This post isn’t just for back slapping though, lets discuss what being an IBM Champion means to me.
What is an IBM Champion
Directly from the IBM website:
IBM Champions demonstrate both expertise in and extraordinary support and advocacy for IBM technology, communities, and solutions.
The IBM Champion program recognizes these innovative thought leaders in the technical community and rewards these contributions by amplifying their voice and increasing their sphere of influence. IBM Champions are enthusiasts and advocates: IT professionals, business leaders, developers, executives, educators, and influencers who support and mentor others to help them get the most out of IBM software, solutions, and services.
The program runs on a yearly cycle and members must re-apply each year.
What does it mean to me?
Being an IBM champion means more than just a pat on the back and some SWAG. First and foremost it is a recognition of the work I do to feed the Cognos community with this blog, by moderating the Cognos subreddit and contributing to the IBM Analytics community site. Building our community is incredibly important to me and I am so very grateful for the feedback I get from you and from IBM. It keeps me going.
The program is also about being part of a huge community of IBM advocates. The slack is extremely active, extremely helpful and features the top experts on all IBM technologies in the world. The camaraderie in the program is quite amazing and I’ve made friends from all over the world. Meeting fellow champs is the most rewarding part of the program.
Finally, it’s about promoting your professional passion and working with IBM to improve their offerings. Champions receive next level access to the product teams for the respective technologies. If you’ve ever wondered how I know so much about the direction of the product this is a big part of it.
And SWAG, don’t forget the SWAG…
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