Carla Harris offers “Pearls” of wisdom to survive and thrive in the workplace – 1 through 5
In her book, Expect to Win, Author Carla Harris offers 10 strategies for thriving in the workplace. This is a summary of the highlights of the first 5 strategies outlined in the book. The next post will feature her other 5 strategies.
1. Authenticity – The power is you
- Focus on the right things
- You will have bad days
- The keys to all relationships is to have both personal and professional
- Your personal life does have a place in the office – your interests and hobbies can be a bridge to building important relationships with clients and colleagues
2. Be the Architect of Your Own Agenda – Have a flexible strategy and don’t be distracted by mistakes
- Create your own agenda
- Don’t get caught up in the “they” syndrome (stop blaming others for your situation)
- Line yourself up with the corporate ecosystem
3. You are the Captain of Your Career – The ninety-day rule
- You must learn the basic skills necessary to perform the job
- You must learn the unspoken rules of the game (the informal politics of the environment)
- You must get to know the pertinent players in the organization and understand the key relationships you have to develop
- Seek out training internally and externally
- Write down your goals and schedule the time frames within which you want to complete them
4. Perception is the Copilot to Reality – How people perceive you will directly impact how they deal with you
- You cannot assume that if you work hard people with notice you and think of you in a positive way
- How is perception about you created? Your self-presentation + the baggage of the beholder = the perception about YOU in the marketplace/workplace
- You can change the way people think about you simply by changing the way you behave, the things you say and the words you use when you are speaking to them
- Choose 3 adjectives to describe yourself; make sure you walk, talk and behave consistently with those 3 adjectives
- If you find you aren’t in the right job or industry, spend some time thinking about what you are good at and what you would like to do. Then spend the next 12-24 months learning what you can obtain from the company that you are working for and what you can leverage to use as a stepping stone to your next position or industry.
5. The Mentor, The Sponsor, The Adviser – having them all
- Adviser – someone who can answer your discrete career questions but not necessarily in context of your broader career goals
- Mentor – someone who can answer your discreet career questions AND who can give you specific tailored career advice
- Sponsor – someone who is an advocate for you behind closed doors, someone who argues on your behalf. The sponsor must have power in the organization
- You can’t just get – you have to give; all relationships should be two-way streets
Carla Harris is Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Morgan Stanley. Her book Expect to Win offers tips on succeeding in the workplace, and is based on her own personal experiences in moving up the corporate ladder.