Strategize to Win

INTRODUCTION

When Expect to Win was published in 2009, we were at the beginning of a historic fiscal crisis. The real estate bubble had burst and we headed into one of the most severe downturns of consumer confidence that I have seen in my professional career, and began a period of labor unemployment not experienced since the seventies. Many people, across all industries, at all levels entry, senior officer, exempt, nonexempt, from the boardroom to the post office found themselves either without a job or restructured out of one, stagnating in their profession, or taking any position just to have an income. Rather than consider how a particular job might add to their skill set and prepare them for their dream job or career, many recent graduates accepted jobs to ease worries about paying off school loans or because they feared being out of the job market for too long. As a result, during my travels around the world, I have met many people who are having difficulty figuring out what career to pursue, how to make the most of the first few years of their career, and how to position themselves for success.

I have also spent time with people with five to ten years of work experience who are struggling with managing change, and are trying to figure out how to navigate the choppy waters of their careers, as their companies have downsized, they have been demoted, their job descriptions have changed, or their bosses have left or were fired. Some of these professionals are also in a quandary about why their careers haven t progressed the way that they envisioned back when they finished their academic or experiential training. I ve also found that many of these professionals are struggling to read the career signs, those subtle messages that are often communicated in behavior rather than words in most corporate environments. As a result, they are puzzled about what will fulfill them professionally and personally, and how to redirect and

Carla Harris is a vice chairman, managing director, and client advisor at Morgan Stanley. She lives in New Jersey.

Author Residence: New Jersey

Though I'm in my fifth career (so far!), I devoured Strategize to Win, eager for Carla's signature pearls of leadership wisdom. As usual, she delivers a powerful message. Strategize to Win is the essential career handbook every young person needs starting out, and everyone else will benefit from reading regardless of age or stage of life. Carla's advice is as practical as it is precise; it's down to earth and authentic, clearly from the pen of someone who has walked the walk. You'll find something in this book to use every day.
Gloria Feldt, Co-founder and President of Take The Lead and author of No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power
 
Carla Harris has provided an indispensible guide to finding the career that s right for you and strategizing your way to the top. Chock full of case studies and practical advice, it s an essential tool for professionals at any stage of their careers.
Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You
 
Wouldn't it be great if there was an instruction manual on "becoming a professional?" Incredibly, Carla Harris has written it.  Strategize to Win is packed with wisdom and incisive advice. I highly recommend it to anyone, at any stage in his or her career.
Jessica Bacal, author of Mistakes I Made at Work
 
Strategize to Win provides practical advice on effective techniques on getting started and getting ahead. This book should prove helpful to college students starting ?out? ?in life ?AND seasoned professionals already established  in? the corporate ?world?.
Terrie M. Williams, founder and president of The Terrie Williams Agency
 
As a mentor to many in business I am always amazed when I ask the question what is it you want to do in your career and the answer is most often I don t know .  If you have not defined what the ideal job is for you and devised a plan to get there,  your chances of getting there are greatly diminished.  In Strategize to