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

Abrams argues that having limited resources brings out the creativity of members of minority communities. She likens this ingenuity to becoming a “MacGyver of power building” (194). In contrast to traditional power in which the keys to information are freely given and creativity can stagnate as a result, minority leaders must take a broad view of an issue, consider its established rules and procedures, and then rewrite them. Abrams distinguishes between gaining a position and possessing power, which is a distinction between carrying a title and being granted the authority to act. A position, a title, may connote authority but does not necessarily allow for its free exercise. Titles have utility as information about one’s place in the schema of influence, but authority denotes decision-making impact. Abrams asks readers to be honest with themselves about which of these—a title or authority—they are seeking in their personal and professional lives.

While the goal may be noble and the individual well deserving, the journey to achievement will take time. For this reason, she tells her reader to adjust their expectations at the outset, playing the “long game.” Setbacks are inevitable, especially for outsiders who, if they advance socially or economically, do so by defying expectations and by adhering to unconventional methods.