iManifest EMEA: New Year ... New Leadership

The time has come for someone else to be the standard-bearer for iManifest EMEA.

When I first issued the Call for Participation in July '09 I offered to kick-start such an initiative in EMEA by helping to construct the board and committing some seed funding. We have received pledges for more than half of the original funding total and the level of awareness is high. My commitment to the cause is unwavering, but the time I have available to invest in this initiative has compressed to zero.

It was always 'touch-and-go' as to whether I could balance the advancement of iManifest with the demands of my day job. Since last October, when my remit at LANSA expanded to add the Americas to my existing EMEA responsibilities, it has become increasingly difficult to keep the plates spinning. I have just returned from a 2010 planning session in Sydney and, with all of the goals and growth objectives that LANSA has this year, it is clear that I simply cannot afford to remain so actively involved with iManifest EMEA. Our financial pledge remains as-is and we are certainly willing to keep hosting the web site, managing the LinkedIn group etc. at no cost.

So, who will step-up to the plate? What if nobody comes forward? What if several good candidates emerge - what should the election process be? Should iManifest EMEA transition to a committee-based authority sooner rather than later? Rest assured that I am not going to step down until a smooth transition has been affected, but I do need to make that step happen sooner rather than later.

Please post comments, nominations, suggestions or whatever you want to say to the discussion thread on LinkedIn so we can have the conversation.

In closing, I can now share with you the results of the poll that we opened before the holidays:

I interpret a 74% response (great idea + necessary evil) as a signal that the iManifest initiative is considered worthwhile by the IBM i community. Let's hope that other community leaders will fill the void that I am regrettably forced to create and push us all over the finish line.

Best wishes for 2010 and remember that a New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.

New Poll: What do you think about the IBM iManifest initiative?

How often do people really tell you what they think when you ask them a direct question? If they know that you already hold strong beliefs or opinions on the topic then you run the risk of hearing what people think you want to hear, rather than what they would say behind your back. Or I am just being too paranoid?

I really want to know what other people think about our iManifest initiative. The sustained effort required to start something like this, and to keep building toward a tangible set of goals, is considerable. So I need to know if, as we say in England, I am just "peeing into the wind."

Today I have started my first poll on LinkedIn. All votes are anonymous so you really can and should say what you think - I won't be able to come after you later! I will publish the results here once the poll has closed and I will certainly be influenced by the general consensus.

This will be my last post before the holidays so I thank you for your interest and comments this year and extend best wishes to all for a happy and prosperous 2010.