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

This Preface to the paperback edition of Lead from the Outside appeared in the months following Abrams’s 2018 bid for governor of Georgia. As she is an “outsider”—a Black woman and a Democrat running for executive office in a Republican-led state—Abrams recognized that the odds were stacked against her. These unfavorable odds did not discourage her from running for office in the first place or from fighting against what she perceived to be improper voting practices instigated by her opponent. On the night the gubernatorial race was finally called, November 16, 2018, she offered a “non-concession speech,” riling against the circumstances that made it difficult for some voters—outsiders because of their race, socioeconomic standing, or employment status—to participate in the democratic process. She presents this book as an “outsider’s version of The Art of War” (23) that examines systems of power and shows readers what they can do to become leaders inside and outside of these systems. Her message is one of advocacy and determination: Everyone has a contribution to make to society; although some must struggle to make their voices heard (and will sometimes lose the struggle), they must try.