which are you?

mavens, connectors, salesmen
(via Malcolm Gladwell)

Gladwell proposed that ideas don’t spread on their own.
they move through people — specifically, three types:

mavens are experts.
they care about accuracy, depth, and usefulness.
they don’t just have opinions — they have receipts.

connectors know people.
they link networks that wouldn’t otherwise meet.
they may not go deep, but they go broad.

salesmen create movement.
they shift energy.
they know how to make someone say yes.

ideas need all three roles to spread.

mavens make it true.
connectors make it known.
salesmen make it stick.

most people play one role well.
some play two.
almost no one plays all three at scale.

knowing our role helps us focus.
knowing who else to involve helps us finish the loop.

that’s how ideas spread.