The Connector Spectrum
Two levers — initiation and reach — move you from non-connector to global super connector.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
The Connector Spectrum maps how relationship-oriented a person is along two independent levers. The first lever is initiation versus response, running from non-connector through emerging and responsive to acting connector. The second lever is the depth and breadth of the network, moving from niche connector to super connector to global super connector. Because the two levers are independent, you can be a deep niche connector or a wide global one. Crucially, Lederman argues not everyone should aim for the top; the right position is the one your goals actually require.
Origin
Lederman built the model after being repeatedly called 'lucky' — including landing a new job within three days of being laid off in 2001 — and realized what looked like serendipity was actually the compounding result of relationships and clear asks.
Core principles
- 01Connectors aren't lucky; they get faster, easier, better results because of relationships.
- 02One lever is whether you initiate connection or only respond to it.
- 03The second lever is the breadth and depth of your network.
- 04Not everyone needs to reach the top of the spectrum — match your position to your goals.
How to run it
- 1
Locate yourself on the initiation lever
Determine if you are a non-connector (sees no value in relationships), emerging connector (sees the value but lacks confidence or skill), responsive connector (helps when asked), or acting connector (identifies and offers help unprompted).
Pro tip The jump from responsive to acting is simply about balancing initiation with responsiveness and increasing frequency.
- 2
Locate yourself on the reach lever
Assess whether you go deep in a single niche (industry, function, geography) or wide across functions, industries, geographies and demographics.
- 3
Set the level your goals require
Decide the position that serves your actual goals rather than defaulting to 'more is better' — a deeply niche connector may never need global reach.
Watch out Chasing global super-connector status when your work is entirely local wastes effort with no added value.
- 4
Prioritize relationships in everything you do
Move up the spectrum by consistently initiating, offering help, and treating relationship-building as a default behavior rather than an occasional activity.
In the wild
Lederman's sister knows nearly everyone in New Jersey real estate law — every sheriff's officer and lawyer in the courthouses — despite not being a lawyer herself. Her work is entirely US-based and hyper-specific.
→ She functions as a super niche connector who adds enormous value in her domain without ever needing global reach.
Lederman realized she was a global super connector when, talking to someone in London, she connected two people who were in the same location across the world from her.
→ She could connect the dots between people anywhere, which is the defining ability of a global super connector.
Common mistakes
Assuming everyone should aim for the top
The higher levels add more value in general, but a narrow, niche practice often gains nothing from global reach — the right level is goal-dependent, not maximal.
Only responding, never initiating
Responsive connectors help when asked but never move to acting-connector value because they don't identify and offer what they could contribute.
Is it for you?
Best for
Professionals and business owners who want to be deliberate about how they build and use their network.
Not ideal for
People whose goals are entirely solo and require no external relationships or introductions.
From the transcript
“this isn't luck that things serendipitously happen... it was relationships it was connections”
“you can be a global Niche connector and you can be a global super connector and that's pulling those other levers”
From the episode
Grow Your Network and Influence with the 11 Laws of Likability