Giving Tuesday, #MeToo, the Ice Bucket Challenge, the out-of-nowhere victories of Obama and Trump…
They all have something important in common – they were movements forged by “New Power”. A deeper understanding of this new power shift gives all of us a better opportunity to build an “army of the engaged” and make a much bigger impact.
What is New Power? You may have heard of a state of flow; you know, being in the zone, focused, energized. You could explain New Power in that way, but not just for the individual, a supercharge for all. But it goes deeper than that.
In this episode, Henry Timms, President and CEO of the 92nd Street YMCA and co-author of New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World talks about old versus new power, describing one as held by a handful while the other as collaborative and participatory.
Timms shares the five critical steps you must take to build a New Power movement, and reveals the skills and attributes the best leaders must have in order to create that dynamic.
Using contemporary phenomenons that foster giving back, our guest describes New Power as a current that flows and surges, moves, is open and accessible for all and can propel us into the 21st century.
About Henry Timms
Henry Timms is President and CEO of 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center that creates programs and movements that foster learning and civic engagement. Under his leadership, the 144-year-old institution was named to Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” list. He is the co-founder of #GivingTuesday, a global philanthropic movement that engages people in close to 100 countries that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for good causes. Henry is a Hauser Visiting Leader, Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School and Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. With Jeremy Heimans, Henry co-authored the book New Power: How Power Works In Our Hyperconnected World – and How to Make it Work for You, described by David Brooks in the New York Times as “the best window I’ve seen into this new world”.
In this episode
- How New Power values different things than Old Power
- How New Power manifests in large organizations
- Does New Power diminish the value of expertise and experience?
- Is the person at the top of an organization still the one in charge?
- A critical piece of advice for a nonprofit leader in today’s changing world
- Who are your “connected connectors” and how can they help you spread the word?
- TED as a perfect example of the transition from Old Power to New Power
- How to build a New Power crowd
- How does unionizing relate to the Old Power/New Power structure?
Links
- Henry’s book – New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World
- My free workshop – How to Build a Thriving Nonprofit
- The Nonprofit Leadership Lab
- Joan’s Book: Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because Nonprofits Are Messy
- Music by Jukebox the Ghost
- Voiceover Work by Cindy Cap Solutions