Stacey Abrams has what Mom calls “gumption.”
What’s gumption? It’s a Scottish word meaning shrewdness, common sense. And the American translation is enthusiasm, courage, or spunk.
But back in the day, when Mom said gumption, she meant audacity or courage.
Whenever she scolded me by saying I had the “gumption” to do this or that, I was in hot water.
With gumption, Stacey Adams has the courage and audacity to stir the pot. She isn’t a status quo or go with the flow type of person.
She has grit.
Going against the grain of disparity and poverty, she champions change and equality for all Americans. Her experience as a legislator, entrepreneur, and activist makes her a formidable leader. And a leader with gumption.
Stacey Abrams became the 2018 democratic nominee for governor of Georgia. She is the first woman and African American female to obtain the gubernatorial nomination of a major party in America history. And she received the highest percentage of white votes recorded in a generation.
I no longer work in corporate America. I’m not interested in a political career. With other personal interests, I found her book, Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change, informative, inspirational, and impactful.
The book is a coaching guide to change mindsets and behaviors that can change your personal and business futures.
She tells us that we can lead outside of the board rooms, legislative, and executive chambers. We can lead from the perimeter.
If there are locked doors and burglar bars that prevent your entry, lead from the outside.
But to gain entry to the board rooms of our ambitions and dreams, we have to want and do more. When you lead from the outside, you need more.
You need the gumption of Stacey Abrams.
As a freshman at Spelman College, Stacey seized an opportunity to intermix with the big wigs. You know, the decision-makers. Upset about a possible tuition hike, she strutted to a trustees’ board meeting. She didn’t barge in. She knocked on the closed mahogany doors and asked the secretary if she could attend the meeting. Within moments, Dr. Johnnetta Cole, the president of Spelman College, appeared at the door.
The president could do one of two things. Close the door in her face or let her in. The odds were 50/50.
Dr. Cole stated she wasn’t aware of any rules that disallowed her entry.
A planned knock morphs into an unplanned unimagined opportunity.
Wearing $25.00 jeans and a T-shirt, Stacey sat at the table with people of influence and wealth, who wore $1,000.00 suits.
Stacey was outside of her box. Outside of her comfort zone. She didn’t know anything about running a college or about college budgets and accountabilities.
But she sat with the bulls. She sat with those who did.
That’s gumption.
She attended each board meeting after that, which was investment capital for the future. Stacey learned about the Interplay between tuition cost and student enrollment, grants, donations, and other critical finances. She earned her own board notebook and written invites to the trustee board meetings.
Fear wasn’t a factor for Stacey. She challenged protocols. When she couldn’t get a seat at the table, she brought a collapsible chair. Such a chair comes in handy when you lead from the outside.
Stacey said, “By the end of my time as a bootleg trustee, I had an advanced degree in understanding the books of our college. And I had the answers to tuition hikes and an insider’s comprehension of securities.”
Just as important it is to be a numbers man, the same applies to females. It is important to be a numbers woman. It’s all about money matters.
Money matters.
Money and knowing the ins and outs of corporate finance were a factor. Money makes the American dream possible.
Stacey tells readers we have a right to fill our quivers.
We deserve the American dream.
And don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
Today is a good day for a gumption checkup.
When was the last time you displayed gumption?