By Justin Bastin, SHARE^® Secretary

I haven’t met one person who woke up and decided to work in IBM Z^®. I certainly didn’t. Most of us take a blind leap into the platform hoping to develop skills to keep a job, provide a comfortable living for our family and provide value to our employer. And yet, through reflection I now realize that I was so ignorant my first day, month and year while working on this platform. In what seemed like an endless amount of exercises and tasks from my mentors, it never dawned on me that there was a greater purpose in their teachings. 

SHARE has undergone a similar transformation. Our organization takes small bites out of the philosophical “elephant” to grow and educate the Members on the value of Z. Our organization’s lifeblood continues to be those companies that invest in their most valuable resource — people.

Although we all work in technology, don’t be fooled, we are in a business where relationships matter more than a program; we are in a people business, solving problems. SHARE events are highly focused IBM Z conferences; it is a safe and mature place to enable growth, thought leadership and develop interpersonal skills. To all the Member companies that send their resources to SHARE, thank you! To those companies that are not yet Members, consider the benefits SHARE membership provides and realize that your involvement will not only benefit your company and your people, but benefit SHARE and the ecosystem.

As SHARE’s Secretary, I have the pleasure of working with the Membership Committee, which reviews corporate and affiliate applications and decides if it is in everyone’s best interest to grant membership to the company or individual. Once a decision has been made, SHARE communicates that decision to the company or individual and assists them in getting the most out of their membership. Know that SHARE membership is what you make of it, and that we are here to help; just ask, we love to SHARE.

Over time, your company will realize the first step (that one small bite) taken with SHARE membership will blossom into a win-win relationship for all involved. From discounts to our conferences, to voting on Z requirements, to being a part of something longer than I have been alive; it’s truly a privilege to see the transformation SHARE has taken. 

So I encourage you to take that first step and apply for SHARE membership. If you are already a Member, thank you. I challenge you to get the most out of your benefits to foster what we all try to do: SHARE.