Jeremy Heimans

Much has been written and said about rapidly advancing artificial intelligence systems from the perspectives of technologists and engineers, but the strategic applications of these powerful programs can’t be ignored by leaders, regardless of industry. In this eye-opening, highly customized presentation, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms, two of the world’s top experts on power dynamics and co-authors of the paradigm-shifting bestseller, “New Power: How Anyone Can Persuade, Mobilize, and Succeed in Our Chaotic, Connected Age,” outline the concrete leadership skills necessary in a new age where managers must compete and work alongside sophisticated AI systems that function as actors, not simply tools. Drawing from their fascinating article in the January-February 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review, “Leading in a World Where AI Wields Power of Its Own,” Heimans and Timms explain that these autonomous “autosapient agents” will have enormous impact on all areas of society, including the economy, culture and organizational dynamics. Through this hyper-relevant presentation, Heimans and Timms not only help leaders decode and understand this new world in a way that is truly novel and highly applicable, but they also empower audiences to adapt and become strategic, active leaders in the highly charged AI debate.

The digital age has turned the nature of power in our economy, politics and society upside down. New digital platforms and dramatically increased connectivity have given ordinary consumers and citizens unprecedented influence over how leaders and institutions behave, while eroding the authority of more established organizations. So how do those “old power” organizations – corporations, media, governments – survive and flourish in this new era? In this presentation, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms, who literally wrote the book on new power, offer a guide to understanding and capitalizing on this seismic shift. Crucially, Heimans and Timms have worked with startups and social movements on one hand and with established institutions and Fortune 100 companies on the other, giving them a unique insight into how old and new power are successfully blended and combined. They argue how old power – that of formal authority, expertise and exclusivity – still offers important benefits to those organizations which wield it. But new power – the energy and enthusiasm of digitally organized crowds and communities – must be integrated into all aspects of how organizations behave internally and present themselves to the public. This keynote provides concrete examples of how to navigate the changing nature of power and harness its enormous opportunities.

In the U.S. presidential elections of 2008 and 2016, two very different candidates broke through the political establishment to score upset victories. Though Barack Obama and Donald Trump have little else in common, they both utilized new power – the capacity to mobilize and inspire participation in our hyper-connected world – to overcome the old power of party machines, protocol and reliance on donor rolodexes. In politics and beyond, including the corporate world, leaders must learn how to not only survive in a world where digital connectivity challenges their influence but also use it to their advantage. Some of today’s most successful corporate leaders understand that the capacity to mobilize beyond their payrolls, and to build a larger crowd that will show up for them, has become crucial. New power, says experts Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms, is a current, not a currency – “and works best when it surges.” Whereas previous leaders may have sought to contain the crowd, successful leaders in the digital era channel it into popular support and brand building. They understand that intensity is now more important than favorability. But as Heimans and Timms argue, the tools of old power are still necessary to help leaders shape and direct the energy they unleash. In this presentation, they reveal a whole new way to think about leadership – one that relies less on formal authority, and that can inspire unprecedented participation and creativity among employees, consumers and stakeholders.

The internet was supposed to be a decentralized, democratic space where people could share ideas. This idealistic vision has been tempered by the rise of giant digital platforms that extract value from consumers while often limiting their alternative options. Conversely, the idea of internet freedom itself has become tainted by the rise of “fake news” and online hate speech. How do we get back to the original optimistic notions of the internet’s founders? Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms offer hope in the form of real stories of how individuals, nonprofits and companies alike are using crowd-sourcing to mobilize popular engagement for good rather than negative purposes, and how we might reimagine the internet in a way that truly democratizes and brings us together, not drives us further apart. In this presentation, the experts provide guidance to organizations of all types on how to recapture the inherent good in digital cooperation – and help build a better world.

The 20th century model of work prized employees’ ability to know their place within an elaborately structured and managed organization. In exchange, workers were rewarded with job security and a pension. But in a world guided by the “new power” values of disruption and mass engagement, managers are increasingly finding they must contend with workers who offer frank feedback, demand to be heard and want to feel – and participate – like start-up founders. The companies promoting such engagement tend to outperform those that stick to rigid hierarchy. Navigating the challenges of new power in the workplace has become a critical issue for corporate executives, especially those trained in the era of old power. But Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms offer specific examples of firms that deliver recognition and opportunity to workers hungry for feedback and participation while maintaining sensible structures of decision-making. By combining these elements of old and new power, managers can effectively attract and retain young talent in a fast-changing world. This presentation can also look at the broader picture of how the shift to new power and the rise of the gig economy will impact the job market and the social safety net, as workers face not only greater recognition but less security.

Twentieth century marketing – a world of slogans and jingles delivered from on high by big advertisers – is approaching extinction.  But what will replace it, and how can brands truly engage and build a connection to their consumers beyond increasingly commoditized Facebook pages and paid social media influencers? In this presentation, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms lay out three key elements of the successful new power brand, one that is built to thrive in the 21st century:

(Product + Purpose) x Participation = New Power Brand

Heimans and Timms show examples, from multi-billion dollar companies, to craft breweries and video game developers, who have figured out how to create a sense of higher purpose among their consumers – and then turn that purpose into action and participation. This presentation equips innovators, whether startup founders or large corporations, with the tools they need to create a Participation Premium that generates funding for ideas and builds a passionate customer base at the same time.