Carla Harris
Senior Client Advisor, Former Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Morgan Stanley & Author of Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies to Surviving in the Workplace.
Carla Harris is a renowned international public speaker and is also a Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She was most recently the Vice Chairman responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. In her 30+ year career as an investment banker, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors. She is highly regarded as a motivator, executor and leader. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council.
Named as one of the Top 40 Female Speakers in the World in 2020, Carla engages audiences around the world with her popular “Carla’s Pearls” where she shares with both leaders and emerging leaders how to maximize their career success across all industries using the “hard earned and hard learned” lessons that she acquired during her Wall Street Career. Her most recent book, Lead To Win, shares her pearls of Intentional Leadership to help professionals become powerful, impactful, influential leaders into today’s challenging professional context.
Carla has been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America”, Fortune’s Most Influential List, U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance(2009, 2010, 2011), Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business (2017), and “Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street”, and to Essence Magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World”, Ebony’s list of the Power 100 and many more. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Money, Barrons and many other publications.
In her other life, Carla is a singer who has sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theatre,and released 4 Gospel CDs:“O This is Christmas” (2021) “Unceasing Praise” (2011), “Joy Is Waiting”(2005), and her first CD entitled, “Carla’s First Christmas”(2000), was a bestseller on Amazon.com in New York and was featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in his “American Dream” segment.
INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP
In past decades, particularly in “producer cultures,” professionals were given positions of leadership and authority because they were great “producers.” The top trader, the banker that posted the most revenues or the lawyer that had the most billable hours were compensated with money, an elevated title and positions of leadership without much thought as to whether the person was the kind of individual that could motivate and inspire others to perform beyond their own expectations. Yet, today, we find ourselves in an environment where a growing majority of the professional workforce are Millennials and Generation Z’ers who demand motivation and inspiration as table stakes for their performance in any environment. So the question is, “what does it take to be an outstanding leader in today’s environment?” Harris asserts that if anyone chooses to take on the leadership seat, then one must be INTENTIONAL about 8 things in order to be a more impactful leader today: Authenticity, Building Trust, Clarity, Creating other Leaders, Diversity, Innovation, Inclusivity, and Voice.
TOOLS FOR MAXIMIZING YOUR SUCCESS
Carla speaks about the proven strategies that have helped her succeed and thrive on Wall Street. This presentation shines the light on her self-described "Pearls" of wisdom. She helps audiences maximize success from where they currently find themselves, as well as increasing the odds of reaching the position they aspire to. Discussion points include the importance—and the power—of perceptions in the workplace, key relationships needed to ensure your success, and the role authenticity plays in being a powerful leader.
CURRENCY, CHANGE, & CREATING A POWERFUL PRESENCE
Carla Harris is the Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, that’s true. But she is also a gospel recording artist, and author of two books: Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies to Surviving in the Workplace and Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career. In this presentation, Carla talks with audiences about the components of positioning yourself to maximize success as a leader in your current career environment or in the environment you desire. The concepts of performance currency vs. relationship currency are explored, as well as how to manage change, create change, and become an impactful and influential leader.
Lead to Win
Strategize to Win
Expect to Win
