The Power 50

 One of the most controversial initiatives undertaken by The Birmingham Post last year was the launch of the Power 50 list http://tinyurl.com/3y8nvp.

With our co-conspirators, Birmingham Future http://www.birminghamfuture.co.uk/, our aim was to highlight the people in and around Birmingham who have the most influence on the future shape and direction of the city. What I liked most about the list and the project was that it allowed us to look beyond the usual suspects, and celebrate the contribution and potential of people from all walks of life. So we had jazz musicians rubbing shoulders with financiers, and educationalists alongside web entrepreneurs.

Top of the list was Digby Jones (since elevated to Lord Jones of Birmingham, no doubt as adirct consequence), with such figures as Liam Byrne, Fyfe Dangerfield, Brum blogger Stef Lewandowski and developer Gary Taylor bringing up the rear.

The reaction was the most vocal I’ve experienced so far in the city, and evenly divided between those who seemed to ‘get it’, and those who thought it was outrageous that time-servers and faceless bureaucrats didn’t dominate.

Many criticisms were fair however: there was a disgracefully low number of women in the list, and many names were suggested after the event that hadn’t even made it on to the shortlist.

So this year, we’re ‘crowd sourcing’ the long listing process by asking key people in the region to tell us who the judges should consider. Let’s be clear, though: this is no ‘Pop Idol’ peoples’ vote. The judges’ final decision will be deliciously subjective based on the criteria (see below).

We’re kicking off the initiative at the end of March, with the list being revealed at an event in July.

This is the criteria we used last year. We already have some thoughts on tweaking some of the points for 2008 . . .  any suggestions welcome.

1. ACHIEVEMENT What has the contender actually achieved to date? What are their tangible attainments in terms of power and influence? How many lives have they already affected? What is their current sphere of influence? 
2. INFLUENCE  How influential is the contender, not only in his/her own discipline but also across other sectors. The influence of the contender should also be judged against different groups. For instance, does the influence extend across the whole age profile of the city and region or is it solelyconfined to one age group? How engaged are they or their activities in different ethnic communities? 
3. CHARISMA  Does the contender have the power to inspire others? Is he/she regarded as inspirational and as a role model? Do they have other personal qualities such as excellent communication or collaborative skills that characterisereal leadership ability? 
4. POTENTIAL  What is the contender’s ability to grow and improve? Does he/she show great promise as a future leader/entrepreneur? Is the person a pioneer of a movement / technology / industry that may have an enormous impact on our lives in the future? 
5. LEGACY  What kind of lasting mark will the contender’s contribution leave on Birmingham and or the West Midlands? This is designed to distinguish from contenders whose performance may be spectacular, but only on a short term basis – or limited to one narrow sector -, against those whose contribution will leave a lasting legacy for the wider community.  

In addition to the above, the judges will be asked to consider contenders’ ambassadorial qualities. Is he/she a person Birmingham and the West Midlands can be proud of?