Malcolm in the Middle

Malcolm Gladwell has two really great books that give you a deeper look on personal development. One is Outliers, but for this email we are looking at The Tipping Point where he points out 3 archetypes of people; mavens, connectors, and salesperson (I am a maven and connector mix, obviously). Here's a breakdown of the types from a website for those who haven't read the books (which I highly recommend you do):

• Mavens make change happen through information and ideas. These are the people you ask whenever you want to know something about anything – they’re always the people in the know. They’re builders, engineers, process folks, and system folks. It’s all about the ideas and the information. You might be a maven if:
• You often feel overwhelmed because you have so many big ideas to unpack
• You’re often frustrated by how “thin” a lot of information seems
• You can get lost for days working on one idea, or spend months happily exploring the depths of one idea
• Your expression is largely about ideas and information, rather than about people or sizzle.

• Connectors make change happen through people. They galvanize people. They’re natural hubs. That’s just the way they’re oriented to the world. These are people who, every time you ask a question, start flipping a Rolodex in the back of their mind, saying, “Who do I know who knows this? Who do I know who has done this? Who do I know that I need to connect you with?” They love connecting you with people, because they’re all about the people. You might be a connector if:
• You are constantly referring people to the right expert or service to solve their problem.
• You love networking and talking with people, just for the sake of doing it.
• When you’re talking to people, they say, “Wow – you know everyone!”
• The stories you tell always focus on the people, not the ideas or the sizzle.

• Salespeople make change happen through persuasion. They can take an idea, make it sticky and accessible, and position it to get a tribe behind it. Salespeople are your storytellers and masters of persuasion. These are the people who can borrow your watch and then sell it back to you. They just have this uncanny ability to get you to buy into whatever they’re selling, whether it’s an idea, a plan, or a product – it doesn’t matter. You might be a salesperson/persuader if:
• When you talk about your next project, people are instantly hooked.
• You sell things without meaning to. (Services, products, ideas – it doesn’t matter what.)
• You love the chase of getting someone to agree with you or buy into whatever you’re selling.
• It’s really easy for you to get hooked on sticky, sizzle-y ideas, products, and services.
• Your stories have sizzle at their basis, and the information and people support the compelling idea.