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Leadership Insights from your trusted advisor and partner in success
My Executive Solutions Inc
November, 2010 Issue # 3
Expect To Win
expect to win book

"Advice books are like oysters: rarely do they contain precious pearls.  "Expect To Win" is on of those precious finds."  Richard D. Parsons, Chairman of the Board, Time Warner

  • Carla Harris, Wall Street banker
  • Carla Harris, motivational speaker
  • Carla Harris, recording artist
  • Carla Harris, benefactor

The list of titles and credits can't fully portray Harris' impact.. THE WALLSTREET JOURNAL says it best (February 7, 2006) in "An Investment Banker's Credo:  Good Business, Good Music and Good Works."  "Her work and her life are inspirational to all of us! She finds time...no...makes the time...to give back and invest in others."
 
Expect to Win is based on Harris' belief that the power lies within each of us, no matter what your job, your gender, or your skin color, If you recognize, harness, and use your power properly, it will become one of the key drivers in your career. Below are a few "pearls of wisdom" lessons:

Expect To Win


Optimism is the energy surrounding your conviction; it is the underlying force that pushes you forward.


Embrace winning!  A winners' attitude welcomes and creates change. Stay ahead of both the current and emerging competition by always maintaining the attitude of being the best.

Do not underestimate the power of optimism.  Embrace it as a powerful tool that will pay dividends for your personal life and give you the competitive advantage professionally.  Nowhere is optimism more important than in leading organizations. Optimistic leaders are able to paint a view of the future, which creates passion in their followers. They move others from being stuck in the past and create intensity and desire to win.


Authenticity: The Power is YOU

Stay true to yourself. Have the confidence to voice your ideas, opinions and concerns and stand for what you believe is right. Don't let fear keep you quiet.

Own the person who you really are!  Bring that original, best you to work every day, the one that interviewed for and got the job. Maintain your competitive advantage in your organization now and, more importantly, over time, increase your brand in the industry.

The day your company hired you, someone else did not get the job.YOU were the best candidate. The company believed that you could best execute the job, fulfill their need for talent, and satisfy their specific need for a discrete skill set. You demonstrated your competitive advantage over all of the other candidates. That important competitive advantage is  "You."
 
Bringing the real you to work allows you to learn new concepts, be creative and responsive and free to take risks. All enhance the professional that you are and makes you valuable. In today's competitive environment, the client- focused leader who learns new concepts quickly, adapts commercially, by applying those lessons in a way that can make money for the firm is the leader who wins.



Perception Is The Copilot Of Reality

If you think that you can't change anybody's perception of you and that you are who you are, you're wrong! You can change how people think of you simply by changing the way you behave, the things that you say, and the words you use when you are speaking to them.

How people perceive you will directly impact how they deal with you. People will treat you in a way that is consistent with who they think you are.
 
You must be able to describe yourself in a way that will make people remember you the way you'd like. Ask yourself this key question: "How do I want people to describe me when I am not in the room?" Identify at least three adjectives you would want people to use when they talk about you when you are not there.  Why is this important? All of the major decisions about your career are made when you are not in the room and can't speak for yourself!
 
 It is important that you are cognizant of your behavior, speech, and appearance.  It is the foundation of the perception about who you are. You own defining the perception others have of you in the market place.


Carla Harris shares her insights on Perception

Leverage Your Voice

When you share your ideas, opinions, and expertise, people come to expect to hear what you have to say. You want the company to be conditioned to think of you as a contributor.

Clearly articulate your views and expectations allowing your voice to be heard. Exercising your voice in any organization does three things for you. It creates a perception about who you are and your role within an organization. Second, it creates a level of expectation within the organization regarding your contribution. Third, it creates a mechanism by which you can define your expectations of the organization.
 
The more an organization hears your voice, the more it will expect and want to hear your voice. When people have become conditioned to think that every time you open your mouth it will be value added, then they will seek your viewpoint.
 
LEARN TO LISTEN.  When receiving feedback, listen to what others have to say, have the courage to be honest with yourself about what you've heard, and use what you learn to your advantage.



Carla's Most Precious Pearl

Understand who you really are, what your values are and what empowers you. Determine how to incorporate your faith and spirituality in your professional life.  Find your daily mantra, your spiritual armour, and then, eventually, your comfort, your inspiration, and your motor to power through any professional challenge.
SuccessStory_Harris 
Currently a managing director for Morgan Stanley, Carla A. Harris spent over seventeen years of her career in capital markets and executed the IPOs for UPS, Martha Stewart Living Omni-media, and Redback, as well as the $3.2 billion common stock transaction for Immunex, one of the largest biotechnology common stock offerings in U.S. history. Harris has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including Black Enterprise's "75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street" (2006), Black Enterprise's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" (2006), Fortune's "The Most Influential List" (2005), Ebony Magazine's "15 Corporate Women at the Top" (2004), Essence Magazine's list of "The 50 Women Who Are Shaping the World" (2003), and Fortune's list of "The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America" (2002).

As Harris often lectures at churches, business schools and corporate gatherings, she shares her personal beliefs.  "When I'm giving speeches about pursuing passions, I say to people, 'don't you think you r passions can fuel your professional life?'"  Her favorite theme, she says, is "being of service".  As my pastor says:  "Use your time, your talent or your treasure to reach people.  I have never ever spent any of the three T's and not had a return that was manifold."

Carla Harris - Featured on CNBC - Most Powerful Women in Banking
Carla Harris - Featured on FoxBusiness Video


Carla Event
CARLA A. HARRIS "THE POWER OF PRAISE" FEATURING THE MARK HOWELL SINGERS An Evening of Hallelujah Praise Benefiting the Children of A Better Chance Inc., St. Charles Borromeo School, and Bishop Kenny High School To support the fund-raising efforts please click here to download a contact form!

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