The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Gene Sharp, founder of the Albert Einstein Institute and a pioneer in researching non-violent resistance principles, based on successful uprisings to dictatorships throughout history. His wisdom is simple: Any dictatorship will eventually collapse if its subjects refuse to obey.

The Wikipedia entry for Gene Sharp goes on to say:

"Sharp’s key insight is that power is not monolithic; that is, it does not derive from some intrinsic quality of those who are in power. For Sharp, political power, the power of any state – regardless of its particular structural organization – is derived from the subjects of the state. His fundamental belief is that any power structure is based on the subjects’ obedience to the orders of the ruler(s). Therefore, if subjects do not obey, leaders have no power."

Sharp combines this wisdom with practical application in a 90-page handbook for political activists, From Dictatorship to Democracy. Downloadable from the Internet, the hard copy is translated into over two dozen languages. It’s a testament to how Sharp’s insights have impacted revolutions around the world. According to the Wall Street Journal article,

"Spread via the Internet, word-of-mouth and seminars, Mr. Sharp’s writings on nonviolent resistance have been studied by opposition activists in Zimbabwe, Burma, Russia, Venezuela and Iran, among others. His 1993 guide to unseating despots, "From Dictatorship to Democracy," …was used by movements that toppled governments in Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan….He offers a list of 198 methods of nonviolent action, like the staging of mock elections to poke fun at problems like vote-rigging, using funerals to make political statements and adopting symbolic colors, a la Orange Revolution in the Ukraine."

Sharp has written other books but his handbook has been the most influential, because of its direct applicability for political activists around the world. It’s an example of what can happen when remarkable wisdom is combined with practical application, concisely and effectively.

Interestingly enough, Sharp had a benefactor for his work for over two decades, Peter Ackerman, a former doctoral student who hit it big on Wall Street as an investment banker. The two parted ways in 2004, when Ackerman started pushing for spreading the word through a wider variety of mediums, e.g., video. Since then, Ackerman has underwritten production of two documentaries and the creation of a video game. His International Center on Nonviolent Conflict runs seminars and workshops for activists on nonviolent conflict.

This case study offers several important lessons for A Bigger Voice. During the pilot for A Bigger Voice, we streamlined the roadmap to having a bigger voice:

• Phase 1: Crystallization. This includes the innovator’s wisdom, a vision of the "Great Result" from applying the wisdom, and the story of the innovator. Gene Sharp’s work shows what’s possible when this phase is done well, with an emphasis on practical application.

• Phase 2: Community-Building. A Bigger Voice uses technology, branding/marketing, and networking as tools for building a community of kindred spirits. While both Sharp and Ackerman have used all three, a look at their respective organizations’ websites show a focus on research, dissemination of information, and education, not community-building. In other words, the conversation is one-way, without a virtual gathering place for like-minded activists to share experiences and learning. What is possible with a focus on community-building, especially given the global application of nonviolent conflict?

• Phase 3: Sustainability. Monetizing and monitoring fall under this phase. Monitoring is the feedback loop back to Crystallization and Community-Building. Monetizing means tapping into the marketplace value of Crystallization (Sharp sells his handbook for $6) and Community-Building. Unfortunately, the traditional mindset is to look to how non-profits are usually funded–through grants, philanthropy, and private donations. Ackerman funds his center privately through a family philanthropy. Before pulling the plug on Sharp’s Albert Einstein Institute, Ackerman estimated that he had given "in the low eight figures" over two decades. Since then, Sharp has operated on a shoestring budget. Who benefits from more democracies in the world? I’d love to see what Michael Gerber could come up with for a business model on this one.

Like a good coach, I always see where there could  be more. More impact, more sustainability, more change in the world.