To succeed at work and advance your career, you need someone who will advocate for you. Who will be your champion? Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, believes that a sponsor is the critical relationship in your career. Carla began her career on Wall Street at a time when few of her colleagues were African-American or women. She oversees Morgan Stanley’s multicultural client strategy, helped build the company’s Multicultural Innovation Lab, and was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. On this episode, Carla shares what she’s learned about pathways to career success. Discover the difference between mentors and sponsors, how to get a sponsor, and why authenticity is your competitive advantage.

Follow Carla: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Show Notes

• The early influences on her life (2:37)
• What sparked her interest in a career in finance (4:47)
• Using doubters as motivation (7:46)
• Carving out a seat at the table as an African American woman on Wall Street (10:56)
• The Multicultural Innovation Lab at Morgan Stanley (12:52)
• The way to grow your power is to give it away (15:29)
• The difference between a sponsor and a mentor (18:08)
• How to get a sponsor (20:21)
• How to decide whether you should sponsor someone (24:01)
• The responsibility of sharing your lessons learned with others (25:51)
• “Perception is the co-pilot to reality.” (27:01)
• Your authenticity is your competitive advantage (27:25)
• The importance of relationship currency (29:17)
• Put the right person in the right seat at the right time (31:06)
• Re-framing work-life balance (37:25)

Resources / People Mentioned

• Linkage Women in Leadership Institute
• TED Talk: How to find the person to help you get ahead at work
• Expect to Win by Carla Harris
• Strategize to Win by Carla Harris
• Morgan Stanley
• National Women’s Business Council
• Harvard Board of Overseers
• Walmart Board of Directors
• SEO– Seizing Every Opportunity
• Perry Mason, TV show
• The Multicultural Innovation Lab
• Meg Whitman
• Transform Your Life by Dr. Barbara King
• Power Book II: Ghost
• Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox
• Ken Chenault, former CEO of American Express
• Ken Frazier, former CEO of Merck
• John Mack, former CEO of Morgan Stanley
• James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley
• Bernard Tyson, former CEO of Kaiser
• Vernon Jordan, civil rights activist

Recommended For You

Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:

• Compass Founder & CEO Robert Reffkin on The Importance of Mentorship
• Katty Kay on How to Build Your Confidence
• Dawn Staley on Building A Championship Culture

Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app and leave a rating or review!