Nate’s 2019 in Review

Reflection, to me, is an important part of my growth. It can be difficult to move forward without acknowledging and appreciating how far we’ve come. In this post, I’ll share a bit of what 2019 brought to my career journey, preparing me for 2020.

Update: Goals from 2018

In last year’s reflection post, I made the following goals:

• Become an MCSE or M365 Expert
  • In June, I earned M365 Enterprise Administrator Expert Certification
• Write another book
  • I actually wrote two!
    • Rise of the Advocates: Leading governance and champions groups
    • MS-101 Exam Study Guide
• Keep speaking, blogging, and sharing
  • I blogged 7% more new posts than I did in 2018
  • I spoke all over the place about many of my favorite topics:

10/19/2019	SharePoint Saturday Kansas City	“You’re the one, OneNote! How to be more productive with OneNote”
9/21/2019	SharePoint Saturday Pittsburgh	“Rise of the Advocates: Building and leading governance and champions groups”
9/21/2019	SharePoint Saturday Pittsburgh	“OneDrive 101: Welcome to OneDrive for Business”
8/23/2019	SharePoint Fest Seattle	“You’re the one, OneNote!”
8/22/2019	SharePoint Fest Seattle	“SharePoint Wizardry for Content Management, Archiving, & Retention”
8/21/2019	SharePoint Fest Seattle	“Building the Intranet of the Future: Using SharePoint to Empower Collaboration”
8/3/2019	SharePoint Saturday Omaha	“SharePoint Wizardry for Content Management, Archiving, & Retention”
8/3/2019	SharePoint Saturday Omaha	Keynote: “Rise of the Advocates: Building and leading governance and champions groups”
4/18/2019	Baltimore SharePoint User Group	“SharePoint Wizardry for Content Management, Archiving, & Retention”
3/17/2019	MVP Global Summit	Attendee
3/14/2019	North American Collaboration Summit	“SharePoint Wizardry for Content Management, Archiving, & Retention”
2/11/2019	Kansas City Office 365 User Group	“You’re the one, OneNote! How to be more productive with OneNote”
1/19/2019	SharePoint Saturday, St. Louis	“Building the Intranet of the Future: Using SharePoint to Empower Collaboration”
1/14/2019	Kansas City Office 365 User Group	“The ABCs of SharePoint: 26 ways SharePoint can enhance your digital workplace”

I met my goals, but the best part of all of it was meeting so many of you in the community. I’m motivated by everyone’s energy and curiosity and can’t wait to see what we collectively achieve in 2020.

Reflections on 2019

• I now have three books, two published in 2019
• I still lead LSPUG, and am grateful Greg Swart accepted my invitation to join me as co-Director
• After speaking with MVP community leaders, transformation to the nomination and award process re-interested me in the program, and I was awarded MVP for Office Apps and Services in February
• I passed four exams and earned two new certifications
  1. Passed MS-300 + MS-301 = M365 Teamwork Admin Associate
  2. That certification, plus MS-100 + MS-101 = M365 Enterprise Admin Expert
• Spoke at:
  • TWO national conferences (North American Collaboration Summit and SharePoint Fest Seattle)
  • FOUR SharePoint Saturdays (St. Louis, Omaha, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City)
  • TWO user groups other than my own
• Gave my first keynote for any event, at SPS Omaha
• Attended my first MVP Summit
• Appeared on two podcasts
• Left LMH Health, and the healthcare industry, to take on new challenges in the corporate realm at DH Pace

Goals for 2020

Honestly, I don’t know what’s next and I don’t have a clear vision of where I want to be. But here are a few things I am interested in pursuing along the way to wherever I’m headed:

• Gaining another certification
• Learning more SQL, Azure, and AI
• More blogging and speaking on the Power Platform
• Writing fiction (what??)

Thank you

I am grateful to University of Kansas Libraries and LMH Health for helping me gain valuable experience and knowledge over the last several years. Within your walls I made amazing connections and friends who inspire me regularly. And without your support, I wouldn’t have achieved much of what’s shared in this post.

Thank you to my colleagues at DH Pace for making me feel welcome and valued as a new member of the team. I’m excited to see what we achieve this year.

Thank you to all of the SharePoint Saturday, national conference, and user group organizing committees who welcomed me to their respective stages this year. Meeting your enthusiastic attendees is always a highlight of my year.

Thank you to Tara Saylor, Suzanne Hunt, Nikkia Carter, Jonathan Weaver, April Dunnam, Stacy Deere-Strole, Sharon Weaver, Matthew J. Bailey, Melissa Hubbard, Shadeed Eleazer, Akdas Asif, and Mohamed Ubaid for sharing your time and expertise with the Lawrence SharePoint User Group.

Thank you to my Mastodon and LinkedIn connections. I enjoy learning from you and getting to know you.

And, as always, thank you to the attendees, the readers, and listeners – you’re a continuous source of inspiration and joy. I wish each of you growth, happiness, and love this year and I hope you’ll say hello if our paths cross in 2020.