2022 Edition
This year there are seven groups of Tableau Ambassadors waiting to serve — the new one is the CRM cohort. In addition, Tableau’s community (with self-nominations) provides a pool of candidates to choose from to team with Tableau to help navigate the future of the product and our community. Here is Tableau’s fantastic introductory blog post on the nominations from Tableau’s Sr. Community Programs Manager, Britt Staniar.
I was fortunate enough to be selected as an ambassador in 2020. It was otherworldly when it was announced, and I was recognized in that fashion (article on that here). Ambassadorship is a significant responsibility and honor — it is something I continue to try to earn year-round. It also opened up many doors that I had no idea existed.
I learned how much Tableau actually cares about our community and looks for ways to nurture it at every opportunity, but with a soft hand enabling community leaders to lead that charge. There are very few things I’m prouder of than the work we have all been able to do together to promote inclusion and engagement further.
Many people wonder what makes a person ‘worthy’ of ambassadorship. It’s crucial now to focus on the next wave of incredible talent and make sure all voices are heard. Of course, we all have our criteria, but what’s important is that you consider the following…
- Diversity of selections — We should be focused on selecting people we may be close to, but all consider the need for all voices to be heard and role models to be seen by people who want to be part of an inclusive community. Our ambassador groups in the past have been wonderful, but we must strive to continue to improve representation.
- Public excellence in one or more areas — We want our ambassadors to be great in at least one area, but we don’t want representation in a vacuum. Think hard about the people you select. Will they be seen? Can they contribute to multiple groups? Most importantly, what type of impact will they have? Note: Internal/company-specific contributions are not supposed to be considered.
- Will they honor their commitment? — Being an ambassador is a year-round volunteer involvement. Ambassadors are a tiny sample of a robust group of talented, creative, intelligent, and thoughtful people. You want to consider strongly whether that person will be steadily pushing our family forward and not stop once announced. It’s easy to be enthused during a Tableau Conference or the nomination period. Still, an ambassador needs to be present and effective for the remaining months (when life doesn’t get in the way).
More information on Tableau Ambassadorship is covered in my Salesforce Ben article, “Who Are Tableau Ambassadors and How Do You Become One”.
What do I need to get about a nominee to nominate that person?
This section is intended for those that plan to nominate others.
Required information:
- Nominee’s name
- What ambassador group they are being nominated for
- Contact information, email strongly preferred
- Why they would be a great addition to the cohort
Cohort specific:
- Tableau User Group: if they currently lead a Tableau User Group
- Student: Type of degree program, expected graduation year, extra-curricular activities/clubs
- DataDev: What is their DataDev program activity?
Information you should have:
- Social Media links (LinkedIn, Twitter, Tableau Public)
- Links establishing their work (up to six blogs, sites, initiatives, etc. to bolster their nomination further)
- What are the highlighted contributions the person made to the public-facing community?
- Why they would be a good ambassador?
Tableau’s nomination forms are wonderful and easy to use when you know what you have, but it helps to see everything on one page to make sure you have what you need to make a coherent case for your nominee. So to help you navigate, I developed a template.
Please note: This template was not created at Tableau’s behest, but I wanted to develop something to help me sort out my nominations and help others do the same.
Ambassador Nomination Template (link to Google Form)
…gives you the chance to look through what you need and be able to copy and paste it right into your nomination forms. All necessary external links are there for you to get background and context.
The template is here to help you prepare your entries for Tableau Ambassador Nominations. Please make a copy and save it to your Google Drive if you want to edit it. It breaks down what is required and optional to submit your entries, so you can easily complete the form without having to go back and find the information needed to complete it. The content is from Tableau, but Adam Mico created the template. Please reach out to me on Twitter (@AdamMico1) if you have questions about the template.
