"People think "power"...oh, that's bad. But "powerlessness," that's really bad!" --Margaret Moore, citizen organizer, Fort Worth, Texas

A Massachusetts teacher I once knew asked his tenth graders to blurt out the first words that came to mind on hearing the word "power." They said, "money," "parents," "guns," "bullies," "Adolf Hitler," and "Mike Tyson." And in my workshops with adults, I've heard similar words, plus "fist," "law," "corrupt," and "politicians." Often "men" pops out, too.

As long as we conceive of power as the capacity to exert one's will over another, it is something to be wary of. Power can manipulate, coerce, and destroy. And as long as we are convinced we have none, power will always look negative. Even esteemed journalist Bill Moyers recently reinforced a view of power as categorically negative. "The further you get from power," he said, "the closer you get to the truth."

But power means simply our capacity to act. "Power is necessary to produce the changes I want in my community," Margaret Moore of Allied Communities of Tarrant (ACT) in Fort Worth, Texas, told me. I've found many Americans returning power to its original meaning--"to be able." From this lens, we each have power--and often, much more power than we think.

One Choice We Don't Have
In fact, we have no choice about whether to be world changers. If we accept ecology's insights that we exist in densely woven networks then we must also accept that every choice we make sends out ripples, even if we're not consciously choosing. So the choice we have is not whether, but only how, we change the world. All this means that public life is not simply what officials and other "big shots" have.

As an innovative thinker, you see the complex challenges around you for what they are: wicked messes. You want to help your organization move beyond a quick-fix mentality to develop learning behavior that reinforces success in conditions of continuous change. But how do you get from good ideas to real change?

At this year's conference, you'll gain tools for putting systems thinking into action. Engage with these compelling keynote speakers and take home the language you need to enlist others in your quest to start and sustain new cycles of success:

Dayna Baumeister is co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild and a pioneer in helping organizations design sustainable solutions by emulating natures time-tested patterns and strategies.

Andy Hargreaves is author of The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change and leader of "Beyond Expectations," a research project exploring high-performing organizations in education, health, business, and sport.

Daniel H. Kim is co-founder of Pegasus Communications, founding publisher of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and a consultant, facilitator, teacher, and public speaker committed to helping problem-solving organizations transform into learning organizations.

Frances Moore Lappé is the acclaimed author of Diet for a Small Planet, world hunger and poverty expert, democracy advocate, and co-founder of the Small Planet Institute.

Peter Senge is the author of the groundbreaking book The Fifth Discipline, co-author of The Necessary Revolution, and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning.

Help us improve the conference by sending an email to Janice Molloy with suggestions for program design innovations or topics of interest to you.

We have extended the deadline for registering at the current discounted rate. Register before March 31 to save $700 off the full conference rate. Even lower rates are available for teams of four or more. Call 1-781-398-9700 for more information.