Grandmaster Sourcer - What Does It All Mean?

So, that’s where you were…

Yes - I was at SourceCon. This year it was held in San Diego, California. The weather was gorgeous, there were palm trees and everything

What’s all the fuss about you winning something?

Well, Sourcecon isn’t just a conference. It’s also the culmination of a year-long search to find the Grandmaster Sourcer - the best of the best at tracking down tough to find talent on the Internet.

In the run up to the conference there are three qualifying challenges. The challenges are like online treasure hunts and anyone in the world can take part. The winner is the first person to find all the clues (usually a list of people, either real or made up for the challenge). The challenges always force competitors to try out new tools and techniques (it was one of the challenges in 2008 that got me hooked on using twitter). This year, back in January, I won the second qualifying challenge. My new sourcer friends Irina Shamaeva and Lisa Offutt won the other two.

The three of us plus the reigning Grandmaster, Mike Notaro, were to compete at the conference for this year’s Grandmaster title. Mike won the first ever Grandmaster Challenge in 2007, he retained the title in 2008 and there was no SourceCon in 2009. He is undefeated.

So… Did you win?

Yes!!

How did you do it?

I didn’t do it alone!

The qualifying challenges all force us to hole-up on our own, searching away, covering our tracks, frightened that another competitor will discover what we are doing.

It became apparent that this year the final challenge for the Grandmaster title (taking place while the other conference goers were enjoying a drinks reception with open bar) would not be happening just online but out in the real world too - there would be nowhere to hide!

I managed to slve the first couple of clues. Then I was given this;

…and told that everything I needed to solve it could be found in the room hosting the drinks reception.

My initial distaste at having to navigate my way through a crowded room, full of rowdy, drinking recruiter types, in order to look at clues posted on the walls, was quickly sqashed when I got stuck. None of my 5-letter-word ideas had opened the cryptex.

It didn’t take me long to realise that although those at the party were not competing themselves, they were all very intrigued by what I was doing. I could ask them for help!

Everyone that came up to me to find out what I was up to, I asked for their help. I had had my own initial instinctive thoughts about what the answer might be - they surely would too.

It was a much more sociable approach than the qualifying challenges - just as the internet itself is becoming more social too.

All the susbsequent clues, I wouldn’t have solved if I hadn’t kept asking paople for their ideas - or at least I wouldn’t have solved it so fast.

I’d like to thank all those that helped me to crowdsource my win - I wouldn’t be Grandmaster without you.

My win reflects my belief that the social web will only make sourcers and souring as a profession stronger and more valuable. Had I ignored the room full of intelligent, helpful sourcers all willing to lend a hand, I wouldn’t have solved the clues as quickly. We should embrace being social (for a big bunch of geeks, we’re very good at it!), look outside ourselves and see how strong we can be when we work together to solve problems.

I want to give a big thank you to Debby Lloyd of EcoSearch, who had the foresight to hire me as a potential sourcer in April 2008, and was so supportive of my learning and development. I wouldn’t be here without her.

Kudos to Geoff Webb and Julia Stone, who together put together these wonderful challenges as the infamous SourceCon Dude…

Thanks also to Broadlook Technologies, sponsors of the challenge, and ERE, the conference organisers, for my incredibly generous prizes, trip to San Diego and the opportunity to go back next year and defend my Grandmaster title.

I would like to finish up by saying that I am shocked and honoured to have knocked Mike Notaro off the top sourcing-spot. Having met and hugely enjoyed talking with him at SourceCon, I can honestly say that he should still have the title. I have a lot to learn from my fellow Grandmaster.

Bring it on!