Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change

Abrams argues that fear is a major stumbling block in one’s journey toward success—however the individual may define success. Fear manifests in overwhelm about the scope of one’s dreams (Should I aim that high?) or whether one even deserves to dare to dream (Is this too grand for someone like me?); manifests in a lack of self-confidence about one’s ability to do the work and do it well (I don’t have the pedigree and traditional experience required) and a struggle against others’ negative expectations and perceptions (They don’t believe someone like me can do it); manifests in impatience with how long it takes for the dream to be realized (I thought I would have it by now) and discouragement when early failures come (Should I quit while I’m behind?); and manifests in a worry about actually achieving the goal (All eyes are on me) and the host of expectations that arise from that level of visibility. Abrams is careful to validate these manifestations of fear early and often in the book. She tells readers that the conditions that produce these feelings are real, and they have the power to keep readers meek and stagnant in a situation too narrow for the free exploration and full exercise of their potential. To overcome fear in all its forms, readers must first name their fears and be honest with themselves about what holds them back. Then they must understand that they are worthy of dreaming big.

She says that too often, people stop themselves before they begin, believing their ambitions to be out of reach. Abrams mentions an interview she gave in 2017 for Cosmopolitan in which the reporter, Rebecca Nelson, segued from a discussion about Abrams’s life-planning spreadsheet into a discussion about her career ambitions. Would she aim as high as the presidency? Abrams considered possible responses to this probing question: At the time, she was running for governor and wanted Georgia voters to trust her dedication to resolving state-level concerns, as opposed to broader issues that concerned the nation. She was also aware of the political taboo of admitting one’s desire to become president. However, she saw in this moment an opportunity to break through the silence preventing “women and people of color […] from staking a claim on simply the right to think about running for our nation’s highest post” (247). In this way, Abrams encourages readers to quiet the inner voice that tells them “No” at the starting line. As Abrams demonstrated in her failed bid for Georgia’s governor, the road to achieving their goals may carry disappointments, but the key is to keep trying, to hold always before them the passion that spurred them to begin the journey in the first place. Abrams argues that failure is just one part of the story and that they have the power to write the next chapters.

Abrams understands otherness as racial, ethnic, economic, educational, age, gender, and sexuality-based difference that may prevent an individual from enjoying traditional avenues of opportunity. Membership in a minority group qualifies one as an outsider and may thus disqualify one from positions designed for another who has had more grooming to play powerful roles. Manifestations of fear are complicated further by one’s minority status. In a certain respect, difference makes one hypervisible, and the individual treads carefully so as not to confirm the low expectations others have about their social group and not to conform to damaging stereotypes. Hypervisibility makes success more daunting: Finally given a place at the table of decision-making, the only one like them seated there, the individual struggles against being named the informal but official spokesperson for all minority issues and points of view. Alternatively, they are judged against the worst examples of members from their group. Abrams notes, for example, the pressure placed on her as a Black woman to avoid being seen either as loud and brash or as a conciliatory and obliging “Uncle Tom.” The hypervisibility of difference holds the individual to an impossible standard.

Conversely, difference may make the individual invisible—their voice discounted and their many talents undervalued and unappreciated. To achieve positions of consequence and leadership, to gain an invitation to play the game, the individual must counter their invisibility. Abrams writes, “Embracing your authentic self means being clear about how you wish to be seen. […] From the moment I enter a room, I am clear about how I intend to be treated and how I intend to engage” (82). The member of a minority group must work to counter friction against their personal and professional advancement by setting clear intentions and goals and by communicating to those in power the value of their outsider perspective. Lack of opportunity encourages the individual to devise creative means to achieve their ends. If the traditional way forward is unavailable to them, then they must follow the unconventional path—whether that means seeking out unpaid volunteer work in a preferred field, researching situational mentors, or managing tasks outside of the job description to get noticed at work. Lack of opportunity teaches not only ingenuity but also empathy for others who need access, resources, and information. She argues that an outsider’s perspective is an asset that individuals must leverage against any barrier to entry.