What’s next will require imagination:
– Reimagining conventional wisdom
– Reimagining problem-solving
– Reimagining social scripts
– Reimagining risk
– Reimagining opportunity
– Reimaginging power
“True power to remake society rests with ordinary people, not politicians or courts,” Eric Liu.
Build, Share, Shift & Deploy Power
– Build power: Empower people. Change narratives. Develop technical expertise. Grow community.
– Share power: Be generous. Don’t hoard.
– Shift power: To those who need change the most.
– Deploy power: Advocacy. Elections. Relationships.
Because when it comes to improving lives in your community, business as usual is no longer good enough.
New Power > Old Power
Jeremy Heiman and Henry Timm’s New Power book opened my eyes to power structures and social entrepreneurship.
Old power:
– works like a currency
– held by a few
– closed, inaccessible, leader-driven
– once gained, hoarded and jealously guarded
New power:
– works like a current
– made by many
– open, participatory, peer-driven
– most forceful when it surges
Today, most resonant ideas are fueled by new power.
“You are more powerful than you think.”
Let’s get to work, ordinary people.
Good Works Lab 