#Ted talk carla harris series

You cannot outwork Carla Harris, but that combination did not equal maximizing my success. I'm, I'm pretty smart.” You can't outwork Carla Harris even today. All you have to do is be smart and work really hard. Every single company that came to Harvard Business School sold a meritocracy. I really did buy this whole concept of a meritocracy. What knowledge and skills did you have to pick up that were tacit, that nobody taught you? You're in a situation where, like you said, you don't have a lot of direct role models. Surely there'll be one for me.” That's why I made that choice. So even in my naive 19-year-old mind, I said, “Hm, there’s a lot of different equations that equal success. And when I went to the Morgan Stanley cocktail party, it was a real aha moment because everybody I talked to was a little bit different than the last person I talked to. No, I'll tell you, the SEO program is just wonderful because it gives you an opportunity to go to each of the banks that are participating in the program. How did you figure that out? Did you just wear those shoes? You see how people reacted? And I figured that I could be Carla there, and I've made my way. And that was important because where you can really be you is where you're going to have an opportunity for long-term success. Went back to Harvard Business School and said, “This is what I wanna do.” And by then I had narrowed down the firms Morgan Stanley was the place I wanted to do it because of all the firms I met during the summer, my SEO summer, it was the place where I felt like I could really be me. So that really sort of piqued my interest.

‘Cause there I was at 19 now doing analysis from which people were making decisions to issue, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars of bonds based on my work.Īnd oh, by the way, they give you remuneration that could give you a certain lifestyle. The business people did, but the lawyers helped you get it done within the context of the law. And that was the summer that I realized that the lawyers didn't call the shots. I could have a lot of responsibility very early on. I thought I could have a certain lifestyle. The reason I wanted to be a lawyer was because, you know, I thought I could call the shots. And that made it even more interesting to pursue. You needed some analytical skills and some quantitative skills, but the thing that pushed me over the edge is that I did not see a lot of people who looked like me, and I couldn't figure out why.

Two, because I realized that it, it wasn't that difficult. And you know, everybody said, “Oh, Wall Street is so difficult.” And I have to tell you, Adam, I was exhilarated by it. So when you tell me I can't do something, I'm all over it, like a bad smell. The summer after my sophomore year in college, I was exposed to-my very first time-to Wall Street through the SEO program, which still exists today, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity.Īnd I didn't know anything about Wall Street, but I am negatively motivated. What was it like when you were a business school student? What were your goals, fears, dreams, hopes?īy then I had figured out that I really wanted to be an investment banker. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Carla Harris to Carla Harris:

#Ted talk carla harris series

On tour for her new book, Lead to Win, Carla came to the series to talk about mentorship careers and advocating for ourselves, and you are in for a treat. She's been Vice Chair of Wealth at Morgan Stanley, been named one of the most powerful Black executives in America, and was appointed to chair the National Women's Business Council by President Obama. Today's guest is Carla Harris, an unusually dynamic leader and provocative thinker. I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking. Welcome back to ReThinking, my podcast on the science of what makes us tick.