Blog for Week July 11: L-E-A-D-E-R
A great leader knows how to truly ENGAGE the people that work for them.
E is for Engaged
They engage them in conversations not only about work, but about themselves, their families, theirhobbies, and their motivations. As a leader you must know that the more you engage the people thatwork for you, the more connected they will feel not only to you, but to the team, the project, and eventhe company.Engaging your team is not just about chit/chat or personal conversations, it is about: 1) being liberalwith the praise for a job well done; 2) understanding what it takes to motivate each person on yourteam; and 3) giving honest, direct feedback.
When the people on your team have done a great job, even a good job, you should let them knowdirectly. Be liberal with praise, the “attaboys” and “attagirls”. When you show that you appreciate theeffort they make, the people that work for you are likely to expend even more effort the next time. Itis human nature to respond positively when someone has applauded your hard work. We all respondpositively to good feedback and in fact feel more confident about our ability to consistently deliverthose results as our work has been affirmed by the person evaluating us.
As a great leader you should also understand what it takes to motivate each person on your team andgive them the specific motivation that they need to consistently deliver excellence. Every person ismotivated by something, for some it is money, for others it is title and still others it could be simple,consistent recognition or challenging assignments. If you want the best from each of your teammembers, your job is to discover what uniquely motivates each of your direct reports.
If you are a great leader, you must also be willing to deliver honest, direct feedback. It is importantto engage your team when something has gone wrong and they haven’t done a good job. If you haveconnected with the people that work for you, it will make it easier to deliver a poor performance reportor review or to admonish the team when they haven’t delivered. You will have built up trust duringthe process of engaging each member on the team, so that when you give critical feedback it will bereceived constructively from your team and they are more likely to move quickly to correct the issue orwill be mindful not to repeat the action.
CD Release JUNE 30th
RSVP: vafrank.96@gmail.com
New NEWS
Check out the amazing new record by Carla. The reviews by fans are telling, this is a must have Gospel/Inspirational record! AND, now, Uptown Magazine is presenting Mrs. Harris as blogger on their site, UptownMagazine.com.
Big things for Carla.
This new CD is just a blessing. Highly inspired, emotional, with a song for every moment, Unceasing Praise combines talent, gospel and pearls of wisdom from Carla Harris. Personal favorites: Faith, Expect to Win, and Jesus is my cornerstone. Get it while supplies last! - Nicolas Chikhani (Amazon.com Buyer)
Link to Carla's Uptown Magazine posts: http://uptownmagazine.com/author/charris/
Blog for Week May 17: L-E-A-D-E-R
Are you a a great authentic leader?
Over the last 2 months as I have been speaking to various groups, I have increasingly been getting the question,”What do you consider to be the characteristics of a good leader”? I believe that strong, powerful, effective leadership begins with authenticity. If people believe that they are experiencing the REAL you, then they are likely to feel more comfortable believing what you SAY, understanding what you DO, and therefore, more apt to feel confident in following you. In addition, there are a few more summary thoughts that I have regarding effective leadership. Over the next 6 weeks, I will share a few quick thoughts about being an effective leader, letter by letter.
D is for Decisive
A great leader is decisive. He or she understands that NO decision is in fact A decision. They understand that in a crisis, time is generally not a friend, and that swift and thoughtful decisions, lead to strong actions that result in a definitive outcome good or bad.
A great leader also understands that when others are depending on their decisions…
A great leader understands that it is their decisions that propel their team, their organization. People at all levels in an organization NEED direction and directives are born from decisions. A leader’s attitude towards and methods of making decisions can heavily impact and infect his/her organization. If you are a slow decision maker that appears to need or desire other’s approval, agreement or sign off, your organization is likely to be slow, lethargic and uncompetitive when compared to other groups, departments or companies like yours. You will also unconsciously discourage your people from coming to you with their best ideas because of the time that it will take you to get to a decision and for fear that someone among the people that you consult with will thwart their idea. This will kill your team’s desire motivation to take the risk to bring you a good idea.
If your team sees you as a quick decision maker, they are likely to think the idea through and have some plan for execution/implementation because they know that it won’t take long for your to make a yes/no call and they must be ready to help to propel the idea forward. This is an exciting environment for highly motivated talented individual. They will want to work for and with you, they will want to share their ideas, they will take the risk to air an out of the box idea that could make your organization more efficient, more productive or enhance your profitability.
Blog for Week May 2, 2011 – L-E-A-D-E-R
Are you a great authentic leader?
Over the last 2 months as I have been speaking to various groups, I have increasingly been getting the
question, “What do you consider to be the characteristics of a good leader”? I believe that strong,
powerful, effective leadership begins with authenticity. If people believe that they are experiencing the
REAL you, then they are likely to feel more comfortable believing what you SAY, understanding what
you DO, and therefore, more apt to feel confident in following you. In addition, there are a few more
summary thoughts that I have regarding effective leadership. Over the next 6 weeks, I will share a few
quick thoughts about being an effective leader, letter by letter.
A is for Action
A great leader understands that one of the most important things that he or she can do is act when it is
time to act. You cannot inspire people to follow you if they think that when it is time to act on a decision
or to move a plan forward that you will hesitate or won’t act. Showing that you are always willing to
act also creates an undercurrent of a sense of urgency and people working with you will conduct their
duties with that instilled or implied sense of urgency.
One of the most important sayings that I have ever heard about acting as a leader was from Meg
Whitman when she was CEO of EBay. I heard her say at a conference, “The price of inaction is greater
than the cost of making a mistake.” It is a quote that has really stuck with me because it underscores
the notion that there is price to be paid for not acting, particularly in critical business situations.
Sometimes that cost might be the loss of a great acquisition candidate, the opportunity to do an
overnight stock transaction at an attractive opportunistic price for your stock, hiring a great value
add candidate from a competitor, or saying no to a transaction that could expose your company or
organization to significant risk. The statement also reminds me that sometimes we don’t want to act
because we are afraid of making a mistake with said action and remember, as I have written in Expect To
Win and as I continue to say in my speeches, “Fear has no place in your success equation; anytime that
you operate from a position of fear, you will ALWAYS under penetrate that opportunity.” If you have
studied the situation and solicited ideas from your people and other colleagues, ACT on the best choice
that you can make at that time, but ACT.
Morgan Stanley’s Harris to Address JU Graduates
ccomplished Investment Banker, Gospel Singer and Author to Deliver Keynote
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University will bestow degrees on nearly 700 students at the annual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Carla A. Harris, managing director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, will be the keynote speaker. Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the Science Green, behind the Howard Building in the heart of JU’s campus.
A Jacksonville native and a force on Wall Street for more than 20 years, Harris is the head of the firm’s Emerging Manager Program and also 
provides investment advice to corporations, public pension plans, foundations and endowments. She was previously responsible for the structuring, marketing and execution of public and private equity financings and has industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial and healthcare sectors.
The author of “Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace,” Harris has been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America” and to Fortune’s “The Most Influential List” 2005, to Black Enterprise Magazine’s “Top 50 African Americans on Wall Street,” to Essence Magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World,” Ebony’s list of “15 Corporate Women at the Top,” The Network Journal’s2005 list of “25 Most Outstanding Women in Business” and was named “Woman of the Year 2004# by the Harvard University Black Men’s Forum.
In addition to being an author and having a successful career in business, she is also an accomplished gospel singer who released her third album, “Unceasing Praise” in February. She has performed three sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and regularly performs in the New York area and is a member and soloist in the popular Mark Howell Singers and St. Charles Borromeo Gospelite Choir in Harlem, N.Y.
Harris received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, Second Year Honors and an Artium Baccalaureus in economics from Harvard University, magna cum laude. The University will present her with an honorary doctorate in business commerce in recognition of her outstanding career.
The University will also honor Ash Verlander in memoriam with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Verlander, a long-time University trustee and civic leader, passed away in 2009. He devoted much of his time to fundraising for the University and also served as president of the Gator Bowl Association.
Graduates who have achieved the highest cumulative grade point average will be honored with the prestigious Fred B. Noble Medal for Scholarship. The University will also present two prominent service awards – the Presidential Award for Leadership and the Presidential Award for Service.
Blog for Week April 25, 2011 – L-E-A-D-E-R
L-E-A-D-E-R: Are you a great authentic leader?
Last week, we discussed Leverage, in this week’s quick thought, I would like to introduce EFFICIENCY
E is for Efficiency
Blog for Week April 18, 2011: L-E-A-D-E-R
L-E-A-D-E-R: Are you a great authentic leader?
Over the last 2 months as I have been speaking to various groups, I have increasingly been getting the question, “What do you consider to be the characteristics of a great leader”? I believe that strong, powerful, effective leadership begins with authenticity, but also involves being decisive, clear and efficient with directions and respectful of the people and the talent that you are managing. If people believe that they are experiencing the REAL you, then they are likely to feel more comfortable believing what you SAY, understanding what you DO, and therefore, more apt to feel confident in following you. In addition, there are a few more summary thoughts that I have regarding effective leadership. Over the next 6 weeks, I will share a few quick thoughts about being an effective leader, letter by letter.
L is for Leverage
Great leaders understand leverage. They understand that there is no monopoly on intellect that they will not ALWAYS have the best idea, the best answer, and the best strategy and therefore, they understand how important it is to leverage others’ ideas and thoughts. Great leaders know how to inspire and harness the best thoughts/ideas/strategies of others and use them to inform or develop the best product, outcome, or execution for the team, project or company. Good leaders strive to create an environment where their team will want to assert their ideas and thoughts. The people that work for you, should understand that they are all invested in the team‘s success and should want to contribute. A great leader creates an environment where their people are not afraid to fail and are motivated to put forth the creative, out of the box, risky idea. They create an environment where leveraging someone else’s idea is encouraged because the team wins, not just one person. The leader can then leverage their team’s ideas and efforts in a way that everyone benefits.
A good leader also understands that he/she should be a point of leverage for his or her boss or senior management as well. No matter where you are in your career there is always someone ahead of you. If you are a Vice President, there is an Executive Vice President or Senior Vice President ahead of you. If you are a President, there is a CEO, that you answer to and if you are a CEO, there is a Chairman of the Board that you report to. No matter where you are, your job is to leverage your position to make your boss’ job easier or in old professional parlance, “to make him or her look good.” Whether you like him or her or not, is almost irrelevant, part of delivering your assignment or role with excellence is outperforming their expectations in order to continue your ascension to the top or maximizing your success.
If you want to be a great leader, LEVERAGE your people, your talents, relationships, networks to consistently achieve BEST outcomes.
Carla’s New Album…
March 26, 2011 by admin
Filed under Blog, Buzz Worthy, Featured
Praise Be: Morgan Stanley MD Goes Gospel
by Kyle Stock (excerpt from FINS.com)
Don’t let anyone tell you Wall Street has no soul.
Carla Harris, a 23-year Morgan Stanley veteran, has just released her third full-length gospel album on iTunes.
Goldman Sachs’ analyst/rapper Allen Mask may have brought his firm some colorful publicity, but Morgan Stanley is working to improve its status with a higher power.
“It’s original gospel and it’s hot,” said Harris, a 48-year-old managing director in bank’s investment management arm, where she advises companies and public pension managers on their portfolios.
Harris started singing as a child in Jacksonville, Fla. She sang her way through Harvard and Harvard Business School and stuck with it as she started her career an analyst at Morgan Stanley.
She sang in New York churches and clubs — even Carnegie Hall. In fact, Harris occasionally croons for her clients.
“I try to graciously decline, but if I’m pressed, I’ll do it,” she said. “I bring Carla the singer wherever Carla the banker goes.”
This week’s release follows “Joy Is Waiting,” Harris’s latest effort from 2005 and “Carla’s First Christmas,” her first album from 2000. The newest installment is titled “Unceasing Praise” and sells for $9.99. All of the proceeds go to a Catholic school in the Bronx and the high school Harris attended in Florida.
If you work under Harris, you’d be smart to get it on your iPod. Or, go see her belt it out on Sunday’s at the Church of St. Charles Borromeo at 211 West 141st Street in Manhattan, just west of 7th Avenue — a long ways from Wall Street.
If you love Gospel music, this is the CD for you. In her second Gospel CD, Carla has brought a fresh, new twist to Gospel while sticking to it’s origan roots. This is clearly her best effort to date. I highly recommend this CD and her other two. Unceasing Praise
Carla’s New CD – UNCEASING PRAISE
Unceasing Praise which will be on sale everywhere starting February 20th!
