Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams

I made it through three chapters of this book and was doing okay. Stacey Abrams has led an interesting
life and has worked really hard to get to where she is in life. I had picked up this book as a leadership book and was beginning to think about whether I wanted to keep listening when Chapter 4 came up. LOVE IT. You should read this book for this chapter alone. And, if you pick up the book, know that you will be getting more about Abrams' life than a straight leadership book usually offers. 

There may be other books that talk about mentorship out there but I haven't read one that lay out such a great way to look at the process of finding and keeping mentors. And I've read a ridiculous number of leadership books.

She talks about the types of mentorship: sponsor (who speaks up for you and opens doors), Advocate (someone who looks out for your success), peer (people who understand your problems.)

She mentions that you should build your network and to be intentional about how you do it. Find time to have informational meetings and make them be with a variety of people. At least one of the people in your network should not look like you. Make sure to include someone whose skills you admire. Also, you should be the one to plan the questions both in the informational meetings and with your mentor. That means that you will be finding out the things you need to know.

One great way to find mentors is to become a mentor yourself as people who help others are more likely to receive help in return.

Abrams talks about knowing things - finances (your own and corporate), understand what it is that you want, and that winning is not the goal.

Four stars

This book came out March 26, 2019

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own