Malcolm Gladwell and Connectors

The first time that I read The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference(Amazon Link) by Malcolm Gladwell was way back in 2003 or 2004.  I have decided to re-read it and read all of his books by the end of March.  The way that he uses comparisons of real world events makes it so much easier to read and also to understand.  Out of all the information in the book, I am going to focus on his section about connectors, mavens and salesmen.  Specifically, I will dedicate this post to connectors.

Gladwell starts off by asking what exactly a connector is.  The most important thing is that they know a lot of people.  As I am describing characteristics of a connector, think about who it is that you believe are the connectors in your industry.  I know of a few in several different areas, but let me speak about the first connector that I ever knew.

For his sake, I will just call him Mr. Joseph or Mr. J as we liked to call him.  Mr. J knew everybody, literally.  It did not matter where we went, a basketball tournament, a restaraunt, gas station, anywhere, he seemed to know somebody and would talk to them.  I can remember traveling to upstate New York, a 5 hour drive and him running into people that he knew.  At that age, about 10-13 years old, this was the most amazing thing in the world, that somebody could know that many people in so many different places.  Gladwell speaks of a test that he has given out plenty of times.  This test consisted of 250 surnames from a phone book in Manhattan, and you are to give yourself a point for every surname of somebody that you know.  I believe Mr. Joseph would have scored higher than average on this test.

The next characteristic that Gladwell goes into about Connectors is that it’s not just the amount of people they know, but the type of people they know.  This reminds me of my local business banker.  He knows a lot of people, but they are the right people.  No matter what I have ever talked to him about, different aspects of business, he pulls out a card and is able to get me in touch with somebody that can help out.  Whether it be student loans, large printing needs, real estate, financial advisor, you name it, he knows somebody to connect to.

I highly recommend reading this book to get a more in-depth look at Connectors and Gladwell’s explanation on Paul Revere being one of the greatest connectors in history.  As I said, this is all within the first 10-15 pages of the book, so there is plenty more in there.

Now, who do you consider to be a connector?  I’m sure the first person that you are going to think of, especially if you are in this industry is Chris Brogan.  I agree 100%, but who else?  I would love to hear about other industries and who you believe are the connectors.
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