Performative politics threaten to erode American democracy until the nation slips into the unshakable grip of authoritarianism.  The purveyors of such tactics will continue to serve up false equivalences, undermine civility plus other social norms, and stir up grievances until We the People make it uncomfortable for them to do so.  In this talk, AC Powell provides a candid analysis of the culture wars polarizing Americans along ideological lines.  AC also examines the cultural, political and racial context behind campaigns like Anti-Woke and parents’ rights, and further, offers tips leaders can use to keep pervasive sociopolitical divisions from spilling over into the workplace.

Proverbs 29:18 warns that “Where is no vision, the people perish … (KJV).”  This maxim remains true since the day the great King Solomon penned it.  Leaders at every level of an organization must possess the ability to see the “big picture.”  In this talk, AC Powell illustrates the importance of vision to growth and, even, turnaround management.  Powell proffers his expertise regarding how to either position an organization through visionary leadership or lead and empower a team of visionaries.

Corporate culture permeates every level of an organization and fuels competitive prowess.  Unfortunately, a disconnect often exists between leaders and the front-line professionals executing the vision.  Leaders able to bridge this gap, through effective, dynamic communication and the application of people-centered policies, create a professional environment that fosters an engaged and motivated workforce.  This leadership-focused talk by AC Powell addresses how leaders can craft teams and work-groups capable of positioning an organization to realize envisioned strategic goals. 

In this talk, Powell shares his proven framework for unlocking the potential of teams and individual professionals in the future of the American work dynamic.  Pulling from his own experiences leading influential nonprofit organizations and fast-growing start-ups, he offers person-centered tactics for leading hybrid teams, collaborating across generations, building teams on an unshakeable foundation of diversity, equity, inclusion accessibility and belonging with the goal of uniting organizations around purpose.  In doing so, Powell accentuates why organizations rooted in these principles will be the most successful in attracting and retaining the next generation of top talent.

Young people can cause severe emotional harm to their peers or unbelievable damage to their own reputation with a single 140-character post on a social media platform.  Moreover, some teens have unintentionally upended their entire lives by using their mobile devices or lockable applications to send text messages.  In this pointblank discussion, Powell offers a thorough examination of the legal environment that sometimes produces the unintended result of young people being negatively impacted by the very laws enacted to protect them.  Powell provides anecdotes illuminating how peer pressure mixed with unsupervised use of social media and mobile applications can entangle young people in the  criminal justice system with life-altering consequences.  Powell also explores the role of social media companies in setting up guardrails to help teens, tweens and adolescents make smart choices with mobile devices and their access to Internet services.  Finally, Powell speaks to the pivotal role parents play in being a shield against the normal pitfalls of puberty made exponentially more challenging in the digital age.

Conscientious leaders understand the unique ability they possess to influence their employees and stakeholders.  Leadership constitutes the key element in shaping an organization’s approach to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment that is also conscious of accessibility and belonging challenges. Drawing on his own experience as an African American business leader fashioning and operationalizing DEIAB priorities from the boardroom, Powell illustrates how organizations can position themselves for success while living the principles of DEIAB and avoiding costly personnel missteps.   

In this unfiltered conversation, AC Powell provides audiences with a rare glimpse behind the discipline and philosophies that allow him to pursue his ambitions without succumbing to the distractions in everyday life in addition to the absurd pressures confronted by African American professionals, especially those in leadership positions.  Powell explores the roles that faith, self-determination and physical fitness play in his ability to sustain focus and drive.  Powell also speaks to the transformative power of being comfortable in one’s own skin and how that power can lift anyone to achieve personal and professional goals. 

It may surprise even the casual observer just how many Americans have not ever read the United States Constitution.  Many Americans assume, rather incorrectly, that the Constitution consists of hundreds of pages of complicated legal text.  AC Powell digs into his legal training to explain the effect of the First Amendment on business practices.  Powell offers an analysis of the limits of free speech in both society-at-large and the workplace.  Attempting to answer questions related to personal rights and the ability of employers to control their workspace, Powell offers practical examples of how employers and employees should approach First Amendment issues in the daily operation of a business.

Isaiah Thomas led the IU men’s basketball team to a national title in 1981, mostly because Bobby Knight did not attempt to turn the prodigious baller into a different player simply to fit into the great coach’s proven system.  In today’s global market, it is not enough to identify talent.  Leaders who would dare to be great must empower their people and work alongside them to achieve greatness.  AC Powell has been adopting this model with fantastic success over the last decade.  In this talk, Powell illustrates how the greatest asset a leader possesses becomes the ability to motivate the professionals who executive the vision.  Empowered employees drive a culture of excellence.  AC examines how heavy-handed tactics, micromanagement and insisting on a model of tightly controlled processes can create an environment that suppresses innovation.

This talk provides an opportunity for an audience to gather insights from AC Powell in a moderated, fireside chat format.  In this thought-provoking conversation, Powell draws on his time driving transformation and growth at nonprofits and start-ups to provide his proven perspective on conscious leadership, diversity and inclusion, cultural transformation, and more – digging deep into the issues most important to your group.

The right volunteer leadership can have an amazing impact on a nonprofit organization positioning itself for growth or a turnaround.  Unfortunately, some volunteer leaders engage in a pattern of overreach, impeding the forward advancement of the organization and limiting its ability to meet changing market dynamics with the necessary agility.  Through a deft conversation, AC Powell draws upon his experience leading successful turnarounds at nonprofit organizations while navigating a challenging partnership with the board of directors.  Powell discusses the need to audit the bylaws as a basis for setting clear guidelines, roles and responsibilities, especially the division of labor between the board of directors and the professional staff.  Powell offers proven advice to leaders in the nonprofit arena on how to clear hurdles raised by tradition and cronyism.

Aside from the exemption from federal income taxes, another key element that separates not-for-profit organizations from their for-profit counterparts becomes ownership.  By law, nonprofits cannot have an ownership structure in which the stakeholders – i.e. board members, staff, etc. – hold a pecuniary interest in the assets or revenue of the concern.  For more than two decades, AC Powell has crafted proven business models for nonprofit organizations to generate the revenue necessary to fund their strategic plans, grow their professional staff and expand their outreach.  In this talk, AC delves into the provisions of 26 USC § 501 (Internal Revenue Code section 501) to illuminate the possibilities for nonprofit organizations to make money while remaining focused on “doing good.”  AC also walks the audience through strategies for evaluating the composition of the professional staff to determine how to fill in any lingering skills gaps.  Further, AC discusses the role of the board of directors and provides practical advice for developing an effective board.

Generation X holds a uniquely dynamic position in the American social order.  Even in many organizations, Gen X’ers bridge the gap between their Baby Boomer predecessors and the next generation of thought leadership.  Though hip hop and the broader musical genre of rap came into being during the 1970s, a significant segment of Gen X shaped the worldwide phenomenon known as hip hop culture.  In this direct conversation, AC Powell explains the pivotal role the Hip Hop Generation plays in the American political landscape.  AC illustrates how the connective tissue of hip hop culture crosses social divisions caused by class, politics and race.  AC also speaks to the responsibility of the Holy-Integrated-People Having-Omnipresent-Power Generation to act in times of political and social crisis.

The proponents of the movement to remove critical race theory (CRT) from  public school education forget that the rest of the world still reviews American history in its totality, if at all.  Limiting classroom discussions on subjects that may be uncomfortable for a particular group of students or removing certain books from school libraries diminishes the possibility of American students receiving a well-rounded education based on historic fact rather than a romanticized exceptionalism based on autocratic ideology.  According to AC Powell, “[T]he undisputed fact that the United States of America is an exceptional nation requires no assistance from either side of the American political spectrum to be true.”  In this talk, Powell offers straightforward commentary on the state of American politics and how ongoing culture wars are damaging the American economy.