Mavenry

In his book "The Tipping Point," Malcom Gladwell describes Mark Alpert, a man in New York City. Mr. Alpert can read through the phone book and of each of the names there, he can tell you everything about 2/3rds of the people in it. He's a connector of people, ideas and organizations. He's a problem solver--if he can't fix it, he knows someone who can.

I find myself being a maven for business associates and friends. If they have a problem, I get a call. If they need a plumber, I get an email. "Hey, do you know a good..."

As Gladwell describes Mr. Alpert, I strive to be "almost pathologically helpful." And I'm internally motivated to get better at this skill.

Why? Couldn't tell ya. Maybe it has to do with being taught the golden rule as a kid... I've slogged through all this mess in my relationships, and in building my own business, and so maybe my insight could be useful. Maybe I can save somebody the heartache I've been through. Maybe I can inspire somebody to follow their dreams. Or maybe I can impact their day... just give them another perspective and change their thinking for the day.

On the flip side, all I ask is if you find my information and insights are helpful, think about referring me to friends or people who could find this train of thought useful. Is that egotistical? Maybe... Or perhaps the drive to change the world one person at a time comes from being an incredibly people-motivated personality type... (more on that later).

Though I think Gladwell might categorize me more as a connector, mavenry (yes, I just made that word up) is a passion of mine. I'm fascinated by people, how they interact, how they buy, all the crazy statistics that Google has been tracking for years. I'm a good observer... and a great listener. So hit me with your best shot. Tell me your woes and I'll tell you no lies. I'm here to sympathise, listen (ONCE) and help you move on.

And if I don't know how to fix it, I know someone who can.