The Anatomy of a Connector

April Doner
April Doner
@april-doner
14 years ago
54 posts

Greetings,

The other week I read this piece by Ray Thompson on "The Anatomy of a
Connector." I do connecting work in FL and liked this articulation of
the traits, priorities, and actions of those unique people in community
we call "connectors." I'll post John McKnight's introduction first and
post my own reactions separately. I'm eager to hear others' responses.



(apologies for the formatting... this is my first time posting a discussion topic!-AD)


Friends;

As some of you know, we have been working on learning what a person designated to be a "school community connector" can contribute to a new era of school-community relationships.

Ray Thompson was the school-community connector who led this exploration in a new school on the Southside of Chicago. As a result of this experience, he wrote a reflection regarding the nature of a connector. I thought you would be interested in his ideas.
It seems to me that people concerned about local communities have
emphasized the "need" for leadership development. Ray's work suggests
to us that of equal, if not greater importance, is an emphasis on
connectorship - a talent that doesn't require training but can use
illumination, encouragement and support.

John McKnight


updated by @april-doner: 10/24/16 04:45:18PM
April Doner
April Doner
@april-doner
14 years ago
54 posts
I'm very curious to learn from others doing similar work to ours how they find and partner with natural connectors in the community. And of course I'm always wanting to learn how to develop and maximize my own connector inclinations toward true and lasting change from local to the global scales.Here are mine responses to Ray's thoughts on a connector:1. Defining / Finding ConnectorsThis affirms what I have been finding in the neighborhoods work... that a community connector can only be 'trained' to a certain degree--it's more about finding those people who are already there than training people to become one. This reinforces the importance of identifying connectors I meet in the community and making time to deepen my relationship with them. In the local communities we are exploring with our ABCD Team in Sarasota County, FL (Newtown and North Port) this is a priority we strive to keep on the top of our brains as we go about doing connecting work. I'm learning to trust my instincts that I know one when I meet them. I never know how the relationship may evolve but the joy of mutual recognition is unmistakeable.I read a couple of things in Saul Alinsky's Reveille for Radicals that also help me clarify who is a 'connector.' While a lot of it departs from the heart focus of ABCD, I found resonance in a couple of his introductory thoughts about what makes someone a "radical." I found myself attaching "connector" to "radical" as I read. First, Alinsky identifies a "radical" as a person who genuinely likes people, loves people. Not just some people but all people. Second: "In the end he has one all-consuming conviction, one belief, one article of faith--a belief in people, a complete commitment to the belief that if people have the power, the opportunity to act, in the long run they will, most of the time, reach the right decisions." [I'd omit "most of the time" in the last line.]When I'm out doing connecting work in neighborhoods, I always have an ear and feeler out for who else might be a 'connector.' I'd like to share the joy of this work with others who share my faith in the fundamental power of connection between people based upon their 'gifts' and what they care about. Many people resonate when I explain why I'm doing what I'm doing... but I'm learning to listen for whether they share not just my faith in connection but also my love for and belief in people--ALL people. The cue I look for now is how much someone lights up at the idea of discovering the gifts and dreams of their neighbors, or the assets within their community. It's not theoretical but comes straight from their hard-wiring.2. Evaluation & Outcomes.Ray write, " A connector understands results, but is not results driven." However much I long to be able to do this work on-the-ground completely full time, I've come to recognize the value and importance of gathering 'proof' that it works. It can be a motivator for me as I collect proof and bring hard numbers to bear on arguments I or others make... in the long run, I feel that the more each of us challenges ourselves to do that gritty work of gathering measures of impact and change through our work, the better-equipped we become as a individuals and as an informal 'movement' to impact the world.Do you have anything you can share--a glimpse into your own thinking or action on this subject, stories of your own that clearly demonstrate community change, or sources you draw upon when making a case for your work?I'm very interested in gathering stories that reveal significant changes in community as a result of ABCD work being done, and in sharing what I gather locally from our own.
Holly Ingraham
Holly Ingraham
@holly-ingraham
14 years ago
3 posts
April,Great topic. I believe that people and communities can utilize tools that help them to be connectors, and certainly understanding/experiencing asset based community development principles is one way. The mere act of conducting an asset map of a community helps connect people and resources.
Deb Wisniewski
Deb Wisniewski
@deb-wisniewski
14 years ago
140 posts
April -I love when you say I'm learning to trust my instincts that I know one when I meet them. I never know how the relationship may evolve but the joy of mutual recognition is unmistakeable. You're so right about the Joy of mutual recognition. There is something when you meet someone like that... It's the way that person listens to what you say, how s/he talks about other people, the hints in what s/he says to you... "I know someone you should meet..." that gives him/her away.
Josh Bowling
Josh Bowling
@josh-bowling
14 years ago
2 posts
Thanks for posting this April. I have always marveled at finding those folks in the communities I work with that are the natural connectors. Not those that call themselves the connectors but those that actually do the work. I have been disappointed in some of the wonderful oppurtunities we have had here in Indy to put these natural connectors into positions that they truly could make a difference in their neighborhood. We have a wonderful partnership between our public school system and the United Way that funds "Community School Coordinators" in close to 20 of our schools. It has so much promise and they have hired for the most part good people but the emphasis has been connecting students and parents to social services. They have been sold the "wrap around services" model that does nothing but hurt community. Wouldn't it be powerful to have these coordinators as true connectors in the school buildings. Because of this dynamic there are a lot of social workers applying for and getting these positions. This gets to the 1st sentence in April's "Defining / Finding Connectors" you can not teach people to be natural connectors. You can teach them to be MSW's that connect families to services. (Not Saying that all MSW's are bad)I have always found them by, as most everyone else has said, listening to people that talk like connectors. As it was said above listening for "you should meet so in so" or "I know a person that is doing that same thing". I think also talking to people and explaining what you mean when you say c"connector". A lot of times people will say "that sounds like Greg" or "Sally meets that discription". People are aware who those natural connectors are you just need to help them put a name on it.

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