Power is seductive. It feels like control, like certainty. And in nonprofit leadership, it’s easy to believe that if only we had more of it—more money, more connections, more influence—we could finally do the work we were meant to do.
But here’s the paradox: When power becomes the lens through which we view our effectiveness, we often reinforce the very scarcity we’re trying to escape.
The leaders and organizations we work with at Creation in Common face immense complexity. But we’ve found that it’s not centralized power that carries them forward. It’s shared strength.
In fact, one of the most powerful transformations a leader can make is this: Stop leading from the pursuit of more.
- Trade control for capability. Let your team build what you can’t do alone.
- Replace directives with shared learning. Engage others in meaning-making.
- Let go of the need to “save the day” in favor of creating space for reciprocity and belonging.
Scarcity isolates leaders. Strength connects them.
This isn’t theory. It’s field-tested. The organizations trending toward abundance do so because they build from their principled strengths, not from top-down power.
In a world of disruption, we need shared, grounded, relationship-centered leadership. The kind that doesn’t hoard power, but views it as something created in the space between people working toward a common good.
This shift—from power to strength—is not just philosophical. It’s strategic. And it may be the most important leadership move you make this year.
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