Wow, another great event organised by Editorial Intelligence and GQ with the announcement of ‘100 most connected men 2014’ in partnership with Jaguar and held at the Groucho Club in Soho.
The concept behind this was to bring the foremost thought leaders of our generation, a century of the UK’s finest collaborators and connection-builders united in pursuit of the shared idea.
Last night’s event was chaired by Julia Hobsbawm of Editorial Intelligence and the panel was made up of Oli Barrett, Adam Hyman, Julian Thomson and Sanjay Nazerali. The panel highlighted the five types of Connectors from:
- Connector ~ an enabler. They introduce others, they are helpers and givers.
- Influencer ~ They are widely admired and followed. Sports stars and cultural figureheads.
- Socialite ~ Renowned for their hospitality and generosity, they often have the fastest track to many.
- Spider ~ Agents, part-leaders, spokesmen – they operate in more than one sector.
- Leader ~ Apparent from their front and centre position in organisations. They have profile as well as purpose.
From the chosen panel, Sanjay Nazerali of Carat is a Connector and a Spider. Oli Barrett who is the co-founder of Cospa and Start Up Britain and introduced speed networking to the world of networking is a Connector. And, lastly Adam Hyman of Code and Code Bulletin is a Leader and Connector.
Julian Thomson was not in the top 100 but involved in the luxury brand of Jaguar and explained how they work on people’s perceptions of luxury, and how the luxury market doesn’t necessarily follow trends but lifestyles. This is maybe something I can use for the wedding market.
Some key pointers that I will take away from the panelists about NETWORKING were; the power of listening, the power of storytelling (case studies), the power of introductions and ‘innovation’ by this I mean the sharing of ideas.
Another point discussed was the ‘language’ of the word networking and whether it was vulgar. However, if you look at the word ‘NETWORKING’ it really means Communications/Connecting.
And, one really key element of being a good networker that I picked up on from Julia and the panel was identifying with the following four:
* Intimacy * Privacy * Trust * Dignity
So, if you want to know who the ‘100 most connected men 2014’ are you can get hold of the supplement in the March GQ which is out today, 6th February. Or, alternatively you can watch this link from Julia Hobsbawm interview on Sky TV on 3rd February where she speaks about how it was compiled www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtvDyBhLtvI
So, where do you think you would sit in this type of Connectors? I believe that I am a ‘Connector’.
And, lastly for more information on how you can be part of Editorial Intelligence visit http://www.editorialintelligence.co.uk.
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