Dear Conscientious About Power,
You’re naming such an active tension in our sector right now. We know the stakeholders impacted by a strategy should have appropriate power to shape it, but it’s far from clear how to do that when privilege and positional authority aren’t evenly distributed.
The thing is, power dynamics themselves aren’t the problem. It’s that Western society teaches us that power belongs only to dominant groups, when in fact there are many layers and forms of power. There is also power that resides within each individual, and power we wield when we move together even amidst difference. The key is to activate these other forms of power in strategic planning.
Power Within: Holding Space for True Agency
Every person possesses an inner flame of agency and internal sovereignty—a power within. It represents our ability to perceive, think, and act from a place of reflection, internal coherence, and grounding in self. It grows when we find internal harmony and a sense of self-worth. It falters when we default to unexamined societal conditioning or become dysregulated.
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