Book Review:
Stacey Abrams'"Lead from the Outside"
by Kaytlin JonesStacey Abrams is a contemporary Renaissance woman known for writing New York Times bestselling novels, spanning the genres of romance and spy fiction, children’s books, and nonfiction. She has written under the pen name Selema Montgomery. In addition to her literary accomplishments, Abrams is a successful lawyer, political activist, and entrepreneur. In her nonfiction book Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change, Abrams lays out a leadership plan for individuals outside of the majority power group, including women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, or the differently abled.
The book was originally published as Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change. Abrams recalls her childhood growing up as a black girl who was also gifted in rural Mississippi, and her experiences of opposition as racial prejudices limited or prevented her from embracing and excelling in her giftedness. Through her experiences, Abrams tells the journey of an individual who leads from the outside with courage, grit, and honesty. Abrams declares her book a field guide for marginalized people.
“People already in power almost never have to think about whether they belong in the room, much less if they would be listened to once inside.”
SUMMARY Dare to Want More
Chapter 1 opened with the explanation that marginalized individuals “edit [their] desires until they fit our construction of who [they’re] supposed to become” (p. 3). Abrams states, “People already in power almost never have to think about whether they belong in the room, much less if they would be listened to once inside” (p. 4). To Abrams, potential leaders on the outside are the minorities and marginalized individuals of society: people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and the differently abled. Potential minority leaders might have the ambition to pursue their goals and dreams, but they might not believe in their abilities to achieve them. Abrams’s solution is to approach ambition like a research question:
What is the problem?
Why is it a problem?
How do you solve it? (p. 5)
In the context of their ambitions, the aspiring minority leader can ask themselves:
What do I want?
Why do I want it?
How do I get there? (p. 6)
Mapping Out Your Life
Teenage heartbreak led Abrams on a mission to map out her life in a spreadsheet document, marking major life milestones and accomplishments, including writing a best-selling spy novel by the age of 24 (which she did). This spreadsheet would
serve as the draft for mapping her life’s accomplishments that she would continually update throughout her career. To start mapping out our lives, Abrams expressed that we should understand the why of our ambition; we must strengthen our resolve and clarify the goals (p. 15). Then we must create a plan of action.
Fear & Otherness
Fear causes doubt, anxiety, and paralysis. Fear can be internal or external stereotypes and biases that have been internalized. In response to fear, Abrams encourages daring, trying the impossible, ignoring the doubters, and taking bold action. Abrams acknowledged that her advice is superficial but that “ we cannot gain real power until we acknowledge fear’s potency” (p 29)
Consider how to approach the role of leadership in the context of otherness. Abrams stated, “fear and otherness are real, and fear of otherness is pervasive” (p. 39). People will hold stereotypes of your otherness against you as a form of silencing, depowering, and censoring, but do not downplay your otherness to curtail to expectations of others. Abrams insisted that we examine our behaviors and determine if our actions come out of authenticity or fear. When examining our behaviors, we must consider the following:
Know your intentions
Understand your methods
Evaluate the results (p. 43)
We can embrace our authentic selves, but we must remain aware of our surroundings.
1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3.Hacking & Owning Opportunity
In Chapter 3, Abrams discussed the myth of self-made success. The path to power looks different for those who come from a lineage of power and opportunity, while the minority leader generally comes from a disenfranchised lineage (p. 54). In situations where the minority leader is successful, society may overly scrutinize their performance or punish them with stigmatization or deviation from the trope of the “model minority” (p. 55).
Abrams stated, “the space to invent ourselves, to reimagine our future is narrower and sometimes seemingly nonexistent for those who do not occupy a place of privilege” (p. 55). She continues that the myth of self-made success creates
an assumption that success is achievable for those who plan, follow the rules, and work hard. But due to the complexities of disparity minorities face, success tends to be more complicated. Abram’s depicted her method for “hacking” traditional systems and finding opportunities for success: Seek opportunities through volunteering and internships, then flip that into an opportunity to make yourself invaluable. (p. 64).
Gaining Access & Entry
Moving On Up
Think of the next steps. Qualifications alone are not enough, now is the time to address their weaknesses. Cultivate relationships in overlooked places to expand your network (p. 67).
Tame Self Doubt
We might be embarrassed over our ambition or believe we are not equal to our peers Surround yourself with people who can offer praise, encouragement, and support (p. 74).
Owning Opportunity
Due to our otherness, holding opportunity is a perpetual effort to prove we are qualified to maintain the position (p. 75). Be honest about your credentials and accolades and where they fall in contrast to your peers
Swot Analysis
Assess your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
The Myth of Mentors
Mentors are paramount to success and leadership, but Abrams instead that we often limit ourselves by waiting around for the mythical “one-stop” mentor. Mentors help us to hone our skills with guidance, redirection, and correction. If we limit our perception of who a mentor can be, we miss out on valuable insight and opportunity. Abrams encouraged us to “curate support, training, and advice from an array of alliances, advisers and friends: an a la carte approach designed for maximum input and flexibility, for a range of circumstances that can defy the conventional wisdom of success” (p. 82).
Types of Mentors
The sponsor: speaks up for you and gets your foot in the door (p. 85).
The advisor: invested in your success and advocates for your interests (p. 86). Situational mentor: a temporary or specific function and offers specific advice (p. 88).
Peer mentorship: similar situation as you but offers unique insights (p. 88).
Additional advice on mentors:
Look for someone with skills you admire.
Become a mentor yourself.
Be someone worth mentoring and ask for what you need.
Money Matters
Money can be a significant barrier to minorities because many have little to start
with. Often, too, aspiring minority leaders will mistake their income for wealth (p. 105). Abrams insisted that the most valuable tools for financial fluency are selfawareness and honest assessment of our financial situation. This means accepting responsibility for our personal and professional finances. We must tackle our personal finances, gain financial knowledge, and create personal security. This financial fluency translates to professional fiscal responsibility as well and can open doors.
Personal Finances
Get out of debut. Abrams recommends considering a side hustle. Fix your finances. Credit Counseling, personal financial advisors, or do it yourself with internet and library resources. Learn budgeting fundamentals.
Plan for the future. Understand retirement options, self-employment responsibilities, and financial support for aging- parents or children with special needs (p. 115).
Maintain financial freedom by building wealth. First, understand the difference between income and wealth. Wealth equals savings plus assets. The minority leader faces wealth and wage inequality based on race and gender.
Professional Finances
Abrams recommended volunteering at a local organization to serve on the audit or finance committee for a crash course in corporate and organizational financing.
Read and balance sheets and learn the financial lingo. If you are building a business with little money and assets, get a business partner. Get specific and ask for what you need from sponsors
Prepare to Win & Embrace the Fail
Abrams encouraged the minority leader to embrace active discomfort and act boldly in preparation for success (p. 135). This can be approached incrementally through collaboration and volunteering. The minority leader should also be prepared for backlash as their boldness might be misinterpreted or misrepresented (p. 140). We can embrace failure by admitting and owning up to our mistakes. We must never let others take the fall for our own mistakes. We can fail forward by taking risks, falling short but still finding minor success. Know how to admit and embrace when you’re wrong.
Making What you Have Work
The minority leader must become clever and creative in exploiting what is available of limited available resources (p. 152). They might miss opportunities because they don’t know what to look for.
Understand the difference between power and position. Position isn’t the same as power. Titles convey responsibilities. In hierarchies, titles are a guide. But titles can also create a false sense of leadership. They may not be qualified for the work (p. 163).
Honestly assess where you are and what you have. That way, you can map a plan for
Honestly assess where you are and what you have. That way, you can map a plan for effective leadership and decision-making (p. 154). Examine everything and inventory the resources you do have. Taking power means taking stock and taking time. Winning and success take time. Do more than what you’re hired to do and do what needs to be done.
Change the Rules of Engagement
Power and winning are intertwined. Powerholders do not want to relent. Reset the objective; know your mission. Change the rules of engagement (or the rules of success) to increase the chances of success.
Power Mapping
Power mapping is when you assess who is in charge and how you interact with each
person (p. 168). Utilize power mapping to:
Distinguish self-perceived wins from those of powerholders.
Who can help to achieve objectives? (p. 165).
Know your ideological framework: what you believe and why you believe it (p. 169). Abrams proposed that beliefs are not problematic, but rather they are critical anchors and that a minority leader represents others who share her core values (p. 170).
Work-Life Jenga
Abrams determined the notion of “worklife balance” as a myth and instead uses the metaphor of playing Jenga with yourresponsibilities. Abrams stated, “WorkLife Jenga gives us permission to be leaders, to be aggressive, and to be human” (p. 194). Her advice is to prioritize responsibilities based on what is most important to you. You can find inspiration in how people around you organize their own responsibilities. Be flexible and let your authentic self adapt to new needs and interests.
Manage Time
Gotta do: has to happen now and it matters
Need to Do: needs to happen because they impact ability to keep options open
Oughta Do: someone else’s needs require your urgency
Might Get Around To: not necessarily important or urgent
Other points to consider.
Don’t deal with unethical business partners, flakey friends, inconsistent colleagues, the impatient, or the unkind. Do not try and do everything at once. Tend to your connections.
Take deliberate and conscious acts of self-care.
Taking Power
Ending her book, Abrams encouraged us to ask ourselves the “why” of our goals and ambitions but also to permit ourselves the space to learn how to grow personally and professionally (p. 200). Abrams stated, “ power requires a conscious effort on our part to move our own lives to where we want them to be, because we’ve got to move against what historically has been defined as the way we should live our lives or inhabit this space” (p. 200).
