LEADERSHIP PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES 101 KEY ‘CONNECTORS’ IN REGION
Some are Well-Known, Many are Not; Many Fly Under the Radar Screen

PHILADELPHIA—Oct. 14, 2006—In a first-of-its-kind enterprise, an entire urban area has had its leadership structure mapped using web-based survey techniques and sophisticated analysis. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest community leadership program, organized the Connector Project in the summer of 2005 and today is announcing 101 leaders—the Philadelphia region’s “connectors” who exemplify high-quality leadership and concern for the common good. The results are based on 4,800 responses made by people throughout the region. In a survey they were asked to nominate people who they know and trust; are great thinkers, innovators, and doers – people who turn great ideas into reality. They were also asked to consider people who have a concern for the common good and would roll up their sleeves to see this work through to the end. (While there are 101 connectors on this list, there were 4,300 unique connector names submitted.)

Liz Dow, President of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, said “The Connector Project is a rigorous effort to identify and understand more of the region's trusted ‘leaders next door,’ to map the connections that link them and to foster dialogues among them. The ultimate goals are to spark a regional conversation about leadership, find out what makes good leaders tick and teach our children the lessons we’ve learned.” Dow refers to the group as social capitalists and the network the connectors create as “Philadelphia’s civic safety net.”

The Connector Project also revealed intriguing demographic insights about the leaders and where they work and live:

• More than 85% have worked in more than one sector of the economy
• LEADERSHIP Philadelphia fellows: 23 %
• Most connectors work in Center City and West Philadelphia
• Most connectors live in Center City, Mt. Airy and West Philadelphia

The Connector Project team, made up of a group of professionals with diverse expertise and complementary skills, has managed the process with Dow and LEADERSHIP Philadelphia staff. Individual team members are in the process of interviewing the connectors identified in order to learn more about how they work, lead, influence and interact with others.

The team has analyzed the findings and developed a “competency model,” which identifies behaviors and attitudes of connectors. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia plans to share the model with other organizations, schools and universities that could use lessons based on the findings. Dow and Laura Shubilla, head of Philadelphia Youth Network, have agreed to work together to develop a school-based curriculum to teach children what kinds of qualities and abilities you must have to become a connector, and the importance of working for the common good.

The Connector Project took its cue from “The Tipping Point,” a highly successful sociological study of sudden and pervasive social change by Malcolm Gladwell, which popularized the notion of “connectors”—people in a community who know large numbers of people and make a habit of connecting them. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional and economic circles, and frequently introduce people who work or live in different circles. Connectors, Gladwell wrote, are the “hubs” of human social networks and are often responsible for the bringing about rapid and widespread change. When Gladwell was in Philadelphia in February 2005 to speak to LEADERSHIP alumni and the current class, Dow asked him if anyone had ever identified a city’s connectors. He said no and encouraged LEADERSHIP Philadelphia to take it on.

Gladwell suggested Dow contact a well-known theorist of social networks, Karen Stephenson, CEO of NetForm Software and then Harvard faculty member. Blending expertise in mathematics and anthropology, Stephenson is well-recognized for her expertise for mapping complex networks. The “maps” show the bonds of transaction, process and trust that hold networks together. Stephenson has mapped many corporate workplaces, but this is the first time she has mapped an urban area.

“I’ve worked on a diverse number of projects over the years – but none quite as unique as this project," Stephenson said. “There is great value and utility in our findings,” she said. Stephenson is currently designing a map that will provide a visual sense of the 101 connectors and their networks.

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LEADERSHIP Philadelphia is the nation’s first and the region’s foremost leadership development and civic affairs training organization, created to mobilize professionals to serve the community. The nonprofit serves as the hub of an alumni network of nearly 2,500 professionals, each committed to devoting a portion of their wisdom and wealth to the community. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia is the hub of a significant network that crosses economic and social boundaries, uniting talented professionals to serve the common good.

BACKGROUNDER
TIMELINE: HOW THE CONNECTORS LIST WAS CREATED

Fall 2004. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia board of directors agrees to celebrate 50th anniversary by spurring a positive conversation about leadership.

Spring 2005. Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, speaks to 400 LEADERSHIP Philadelphia alumni about his new book, Blink.

Summer 2005. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia President Liz Dow assembles a group of alumni from different professions to brainstorm how to respond to a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial, which asked: “Where’s the outrage over the lack of leadership in this city?” Team decides to focus the 50th anniversary effort on “connectors”—identifying them, understanding their behaviors and creating a model to teach connection. Dow asks Gladwell if anyone has ever identified a city’s “connectors”. He says no, but suggests she connect with “social network guru” Karen Stephenson, CEO of NetForm Software and then Harvard faculty member. Stephenson agrees to help to identify greater Philadelphia’s connectors and create a social network map.

Fall 2005. Focus groups analyze Stephenson’s social network analysis model and gather reactions of local leaders’ idea of identifying and studying local connectors in order to teach connection. Stephenson works with the project team to create a methodology to identify the region’s connectors.

Winter 2006. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia emails 1,800 area fellows, seeking nominations and asking them to forward the nomination forms to colleagues and friends to broaden the reach of the study. The Inquirer, Daily News and The Philadelphia Business Journal publish Connector Project stories to solicit additional nominations. Nominations are open for a six-week period. Nearly 4,800 people submit names. The web site records 100-200 hits per day and visits from 15 countries.

Spring 2006. The 101 most-frequently listed names are researched to find contact information and to identify where they work.

Summer 2006. The 101 “connectors” are informed that their names were submitted. They are asked to complete a confidential online survey about how they work, lead, influence and interact with others. A clear majority take the survey. The team does additional one-on-one interviews to learn more about these individuals’ work, career history and connecting behaviors.

Fall 2006. Dr. Renee Booth, a LEADERSHIP Philadelphia board member, leads sessions to form a competency model—traits that characterize connectors—based upon the findings of the survey and interviews. The goal is to determine what accounts for their success as leaders and what is unique about this particular type of leader.

Spring 2007. Philadelphia Youth Network to create a connection curriculum as a pilot program in the Philadelphia public school system. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia develops plan to use the Connector Project at 50th Anniversary Celebration/National Conference (tentatively to be held in Philadelphia, 2009).