My Salesforce Resolutions for 2017
Another year has passed. Time for some good old fashioned New Year’s Resolutions. I’m sure many of mine are the same as yours. Give something up I’m addicted to, at least for a bit: coffee. Learn something new to impress my kids: sleight of hand. Sign up for a race I may regret: Ragnar. Those are all fine and good, but I’m also going to focus on upping my Salesforce game in 2017. Here’s the plan.
Blaze a Trail
Trailhead has proven its worth time and again. It’s the Salesforce way of providing training to anyone who cares to know more, push their skills, or dive into the platform for the first time. This year, it’s all about the Superbadges. If it doesn’t say super in front of it, I’m not interested. Specifically I aim to complete the Apex Specialist, Lightning Experience Specialist, Reports and Dashboards Specialist and Security Specialist all in 2017. What’s that you say? Typical unrealistic New Year's resolution hogwash? I guess we'll see about that.
Embrace the LEX
Part of the reason the Lightning Experience Specialist Superbadge made the list above is the fact that I have deliberately avoided the, not so new, Lightning Experience (LEX) from the get-go. Early on, it resembled what Salesforce might look like in a fever dream about overthought UIs and fixing things that aren't broken. For the most part, things have improved, but how much is yet to be ‘experienced’. I’ve been encouraged by my coworkers to give it a shot, so here I go. I’ll agree, not only to nab the Superbadge, but spend some real one-on-one time with the LEX in 2017. It may be slower, but it’s the future. Mr. Benioff says so.
Drop Some Answers
My last resolution is to answer at least one unanswered question from the Success Community every week this year. The Answers section of the Salesforce Success Community is exactly what it sounds like- a place to ask questions and get answers from active Salesforce users. Not only is it a great place to get your questions answered, you can also give back to the community by taking the time to answer questions from other users. One of the key skills of being an effective consultant is to quickly get to the root of a problem. Reviewing and attempting to answer questions from the community challenges you to interpret the perspective of the user asking the question. Often you’ll be forced to make some pretty hefty assumptions about their org in order to provide an answer or better yet come up with the right questions to ask in response that will lead to the best solution. For admins that are only accustomed to thinking in terms of their own orgs, his would also be a great way to start seeing solutions that are outside the paradigm of that environment. Plus it’s very satisfying to spread a little knowledge.
These are my Salesforce resolutions for 2017. For me keeping up with the Salesforce world is essential to my livelihood. Maybe you’re the same, or maybe you’re new to this whole can of worms. Regardless take a moment to find some areas where you know you can take your skills to the next level. You won’t regret it.
Have you made any ambitious Salesforce resolutions this year? Why not? Share them with me on the Arkus Facebook page, in the comments below, in the Success Community, or to me directly via Twitter at @jpbujold
