Stacey Abrams Leadership Quotes

Defeating fear of otherness means knowing who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish and leveraging that otherness to our benefit. Knowing I’d never be invited into smoke-filled rooms or to the golf course, I instead requested individual meetings with political colleagues where I asked questions and learned about their interests, creating a similar sense of camaraderie. In business, I take full advantage of opportunities afforded to minorities but then always offer to share my learning with other groups that have similar needs—expanding the circle rather than closing myself off. Like most who are underestimated, I have learned to over-perform and find soft but key ways to take credit. Because, ultimately, leadership and power require the confidence to effectively wield both.

Too often the idea of a mentor is a self-limiting device that has most of us hunting for someone we'll never find because of access or because our chosen guide already has a waiting list. ... By narrowing our sense of what a mentor can be, we ignore those who are all around, ready to help us hone our skills and build our leadership capacity.