Henry Timms is the co-founder of #GivingTuesday, Jeremy Heimans is the co-founder and CEO of Purpose and GetUp! Timms and Heimans came together to write the modern and innovative book #newpower. Richard Branson summed the book as “An essential lens to use when thinking about how the world has changed, how to spread ideas or start a movement or create change”.
Landscape
#newpower shows the transformation of the entire landscape that we operate. Therefore, the movement is from old power to new power. Old power “works like a currency. It is held by few. Once gained, it is jealousy guarded, and the powerful have a substantial store of it to spend. It is closed, inaccessible, and leader driven. It downloads, and it captures” whilst New power “operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. It is open, participatory, and peer-driven. It uploads, and it distributes. Like water or electricity, it’s most forceful when it surges.
The goal with new power is not to hoard it but to channel it” wrote #newpower.
For example, old power is the manner in which governments tend to operate with centralized concentration of power, and new power is where we witness businesses such as Airbnb where there is absolute decentralization within a simple framework. Therefore, according to the authors it is very clear that in modern society, in simple terms the people tend to largely gravitate towards the realm of new power.
An eloquent analysis where the reader is guided via real world examples providing practical experience about the society we live in and actually how this entire transformation has taken place. Whether it may be changing political dynasties to economic transformations to establishing new businesses within a short period of time.
Furthermore, the manner in which these measures have brought about strong followers and practitioners of companies or organizations have been elaborated to a great extent.
I would go a step further and highlight that this book is a must read for anyone whether an entrepreneur or politician or student as it shows what the 21st century power shifts are all about.
Conclusion
I will conclude in the words of Miranda Green of Financial Times “A good place to start understanding a world in which you have to occupy yourself before the hashtag starts coming for you”.
Original content written by Yatila A. Wijemanne
