Some folks have asked whether it’s appropriate for Connectors to be group that is selected, as opposed to an experience that is more permeable and open to everyone who is interested in Boston. We’ve weighed this in great detail, and at this point in the process, we have several reasons for managing who is – and who isn’t – a Connector. Here are some thoughts on that.
- There already are big, unfiltered groups of people who have ties to Boston. See LinkedIn for examples. So we didn’t think it made sense to add another group with those characteristics. What didn’t appear to exist was a vetted group of high achievers who are bullish on Boston and are willing to make themselves available to help other people seize this city’s economic opportunities. Well, now that group does exist: BWP Connectors.
- BWP is a mission-focused, results-focused organization. We have a job to do – to raise awareness of Boston’s economic opportunities and to generate leads by helping business people make targeted, high-value connections. So it’s important to us that people who are involved actually participate and pull their weight relative to these goals. That’s why we have focused on growth that emphasizes quality over quantity, bringing together high-caliber individuals rather than just anyone who wants to join. In fact, even as we add Connectors, we will also be culling out those individuals who are not sufficiently active. We respect how busy people are, but it’s important that BWP be a community of action, not just some squishy, shared affinity for clam chowder and stifling, late August humidity.
- We need to protect the Connector network – and therefore BWP – from individuals who are just too opportunistic. We are not talking about people who are self-interested. We’re all for self-interest, and in fact we see self-interest as key to sustaining people’s participation and growing BWP’s reach. But our Connectors understand how to balance their self-interest. They approach their involvement in BWP with an attitude that by contributing to this effort they will build strategic relationships that yield personal benefit. They don’t come looking for a list of email addresses that they can blast stuff out to.
- We can’t pay our Connectors in cash, but we can pay them in cachet. Connectors are a vetted group, selected for their focus, their drive, their generosity of spirit, their commitment to innovation and business excellence. As a result, it means something to be recognized as a Connector. One’s service as a Connector says great things about that person. That’s what we mean by cachet, and it’s a function of the fact the experience is not open to every shmo with a Sox cap.
- We, the BWP staff, advocate for our Connectors. It’s part of the implicit contract that exists between BWP staff and the individual Connectors. In exchange for their helping to promote and grow Boston’s economy, we make a commitment to help them access the resources that they need. You do for Boston, we do for you, offering visibility, information, and access that can impact your business growth. (As I’ve said in many different places, it’s much like the way a university rewards its most active alumni.) Given this, we need to make sure that the total number of Connectors does not exceed the number that our staff can be responsive to. Initially, this was 125. Now that we have our Action Teams in place and working, we can expand that number up to a point. [For the concept behind Action Teams, see this blog post, titled “Connector-owned, Connector-operated.” For the final list of teams, go here.]
- Finally, BWP is experimental – with Mayor Menino’s leadership in launching this organization, we are making Boston the first city in the world to implement a global alumni strategy in order to foster collaboration, create new channels for investment, capture competitive intelligence, and drive growth. Given the fact that there are no plug-and-play best practices for what we’re working on, we need to be willing to try things and make adjustments. As such, we are committed to continuing to test and tweak our model. Above are the reasons why we have limited the Connector roster, but it’s worth noting that as our experiment continues to evolve, some pieces of this thinking might change. We invite you to weigh in below with your thoughts as a way to help us further refine our approach.
Posted by Dave McLaughlin. Dave serves as Executive Director of Boston World Partnerships. He tweets a middling amount under the handle @connectorsRus.
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