Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace

by Carla Harris

Librarian note: An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.

Carla Harris, one of the most successful and respected women in business, shares advice, tips, and strategies for surviving in any workplace environment. While climbing the corporate ladder, Harris had her own missteps and celebrated numerous victories. She vowed that when she reached senior management, and people came to her for advice, she would provide them with the tools and strategies honed by her experience.

“Carla’s Pearls” have become the centerpiece for her many speeches and television appearances. Now, Carla shares these valuable lessons, including:

· Authenticity: The Power is You
· The Ninety-Day Rule
· Perception is the Copilot to Reality
· The Mentor, the Sponsor, the Adviser: Having Them All
· Leverage Your Voice
· Balance is a Necessity: Use Your Passions to Achieve It
· Expect to Win: Show Up with Your Best Self Every Day

Expect to Win is an inspirational must-read for anyone seeking battle-tested tools for fulfilling their true potential.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Leadership, Professional Development, Personal Growth, Personal Development

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2009

Reviews

[Latonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best career advice book I've read. Key takeaways: construct your own career agenda; align yourself with the right people; how people perceive you will directly impact how they deal with you: build your personal brand with authenticity; have a mentor, sponsor and adviser in your corner; speak up in meetings - exercise your voice; and show up with your best self everyday - expect to win.

[Willie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carla Harris does a terrific job of providing a compilation of questions to ask yourself, steps to how to go about career progress, and more importantly the how, why and examples of all the above to take control of your career. As a professional that's more than 10 years into my career, I would encourage anyone who is just starting out or knows someone that is just starting their career to be given this book. Specifically for those that are going into larger companies and corporations as it will help them navigate for the short and long-term. Do the service of reading this book and giving it as a gift for better career development for any and everyone.

[Emelie Flink Patscot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at me listening to something to better myself. I will take Carla’s pearls with me through my career!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla Harris spoke at a conference I went to - and her speech was so powerful I had to get her book, and in fact forced it upon my entire book club. Carla is a powerhouse - brazen, firm, sure of herself. Which is awesome! If I had a read a book with this sort
of tone by a man I would have scoffed and said “you just don’t understand what it’s like to be a woman in the workplace.” But Carla knows what it means to be a minority woman, and references specific ways in which this go get ‘em attitude can be harder for women, but still possible and important to have (her advice is generally not gender/race specific in this book, just commentary on some pieces).

The most important things I learned from Carla is that if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and you need to have a team of people supporting you. I will definitely try to be more intentional in my career moves and networking - we will see how it pans out! There are lots of other great pearls of wisdom within this book.

There are two pieces of criticism. While Carla attempts to be general, the examples are all very slanted towards the financial industry. So if you are in something less competitive, the advice is still good but you may not connect as well. The second is this book needed one last copy editor pass. If an extra space or missing apostrophe ruins your day this might be a book to skip. At least the kindle version I had anyways.

[jewelthinks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! So on time! I immediately began to implement her tips and immediately began to see results. I want every Black woman to read this regardless of industry.

It's so informative, spot on, yet so conversational. Reading ETW, chapter after chapter, is like having session after session
with your trusted mentor!

A few standout quotes:

"Expecting to win, my body language changed, my speech changed, and my mentality changed. Everything about me reflected a winners attitude. This even works on things don't go so well, and sometimes they don't-that's a fact of life. When things don't work out as I hoped, I try to view the experience as an opportunity for an unexpected valuable lesson."

"No matter what state you are at in your career, you must look at your job, at your life, through the lens of the winter. Challenge yourself every day to be creative and masterful. And believe that you are capable and powerful. Every experience you have, good or bad, makes you a smarter and richer person. Having a winner's mentality makes a difference on day one of your career as well as in the last day of year thirty. Expect to win and you will."

[Alwilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read it straight through, instead I chose chapters to enjoy. Another book for being successful in business. When I first bought it I couldn't put it down. I bought it for a friend, ended up keeping it and buy my friend another book.

I'll keep you posted on if it helps me in the workplace :-)!

[Leandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla doesn't mess around give true honest advise to manage your career. I have seen her speak which is impactful! Her book is just as impactful!

I like her true grit honesty...this book is not fluffy. She is realistic about how to build relationships and that you are the one who manages your career...one one else.

She is clear how people perceive you and how they think of you is important. Her key is you can change the way people think about you simply by changing the way you behave, the things you say and the words you use when you are speaking to them.

An excellent read!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim book that covers the basics of how to go about advancing your career:

- be yourself - this includes setting and sticking to your own personal goals
- set an agenda: have both macro and micro goals you examine at least quarterly
- you have ninety days to prove yourself in a new job or organization; this includes learning the internal politics
- hard work alone isn’t enough: people must also think highly of you, which is subjective, so make nice
- you must find a mentor, a sponsor, and some advisors
- speak up in meetings
- take risks when you can
- feed your network regularly
- your life is more than your job - act accordingly and your career will benefit.
- expect to win: move through life with confidence.

The book has surprisingly little to say on gender or race, showing its age (I don’t doubt Harris has views on them, but I am not sure the world would have welcomed at the time). While the lessons are universal, she has a clear orientation toward large, structured, finance-based work places, so markers like pay, promotions, deals, etc don’t always ring true. The writing style is quite basic and repetitive - assume this is to reach the widest possible audience, but it effectively had me skipping paragraphs to get to the boiler bullet points at the end. A good, basic primer - but nothing earth-shattering. If nothing else, the chapter on confidence is worth a read. Harris is strikingly calculating (in a good way) about her career decisions - and the rest is history.

[Sandra Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regardless of where you are in your career or what your career happens to be - THIS book will provide some valuable insights or “pearls” of wisdom. I wish this was available to me earlier in my career but I still took away so much! Connecting with people every day in every part of my life is something I enjoy doing as it lights me up! My favorite part was the section on how to leverage Your Network and the power that lies within it. Read this, buy it and gift it to friends and colleagues!

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, straightforward advice to succeed in business. I don't know if this book is for everyone. I have a similar attitude and personality as Carla, so it worked for me. I do wish there were more examples of failure and trials and how you come back from it. I would love to read a memoir from Carla rather than this true self help style.

[Tigger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like Carla was in front of me having a conversation. Great read, easy read, and powerful messaging.

[Nadaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and important book

I’ve seen Carla Harris speak twice and I absolutely loved her, so I decided to read her book. This book is about how to succeed in your professional life and instead of being one of those annoying pompous business books, this one is grounded in spirituality and universal truths. I agree complete with her advice about setting your own agenda at work, speaking up, taking risks, helping others, and coming to work each day with an expectation and determination to win.

I particularly like her chapter on perception being the copilot of reality. She recommends you pick three adjectives you want others at work to use to describe you and to make sure that you very consciously reinforces those attributes every day. They of course must be authentic to who you are as well.

I also loved her story about how she cultivated and image of being tough when someone told her she was not perceived as being tough enough for Wall Street! I myself was once an investment banning analyst at Goldman Sachs. Although I really liked my colleagues, I hated every minute of the job itself. However, I realized it was very important to be perceived as “busy.” So instead of sauntering leisurely from my desk to the copy room, I started walking around everywhere as if was in a rush with many important things to do. I always had an excel sheet open even if I was just waiting around and I stopped talking about how much fun I had on the weekend (although I did have to work many weekends). I was very amused when noticed a definite difference in how people perceived me after I started doing this!

I also appreciated her last chapter in how her faith has kept her steady through the tumult of her career. I too have found that faith keeps you steady even when things seem to not be going your way as you know that all things coming to you in your life are there to help you grow. And I think faith gives you the confidence that you have that power to manifest your noble desires into reality.

Carla Harris is officially in my list of people I would like to have dinner with one day. I highly recommend this book and thank her for the positivity she is spreading through her talks and book.

[Gentry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace
1) Authenticity
2) Have a Flexible Strategy and Don't be Distracted by Mistakes
3) You are the captain of your career: Remember the 90 day rule.
4) How People Percieve You Will Directly Impact How They Deal With You
5) The Mentor, the Sponsor, the Adviser: Having them all
6) Articulate your Views and Your Expectation
7) Have a Penchant for Taking Risks
8) Power in the Network
9) Balance is Necessary: Use Your Passion to Achieve It
10) Expect to Win
I especially like her example of how to ask for feedback within the 90 days of employment " Never simply ask, "How am I doing?"It may sound to appear insecure about your performance. Instead use this phrase:
" I want to spend a few minutes to discuss my progress to date. I feel like I came and jumped right in full speed ahead and have quickly attained proficiency in _______, _____,and ____. I have really enjoyed working with _____, and ____. I have learned a tremendous amount from my client exposure in the last two transaction. As I look forward to the next quarter, my plan is to focus on ___, ____, and ___, but I wanted to check in with you to see if there are other things that you think I should add or change."

Love she uses her faith for encouragement and how she ended it with Bible verses.
I can do all things through Chris which strengthen me. --PHILIPPIANS 4:13
(No challenge at work is insurmountable)

No weapon that is formed against thee shall proseper. --ISIAH 54:17
(Those who might wish me ill or try to derail me from my agenda, WILL NOT prevail.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

What intrigued me: Carla Harris was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended, and I have been obsessed with her pearls since then.

What I liked: This book is well laid out and her advice is spot on. I especially liked chapters 2 - Be the Architect of Your Own Agenda and 5 - The Mentor, the Sponsor, the Adviser.

The idea of having an agenda to help keep you grounded and focused when things aren't going well is a fantastic idea. We all have bad days where we feel slighted, embarrassed, or like we're on the wrong path. Being able to reference your high level goals can help you stay objective.

She spoke about the need for a sponsor in the keynote I saw, but the book expanded on that idea and it is a lot clearer to me now.

What I didn't like: The last few chapters were very focused on her faith, so I skimmed those bits.

Favorite quote: "Think about creating a board of directors to help you manage your career. It should include advisers, mentors, and sponsors. Your directors should be a diverse group - diverse in seniority, ethnicity, gender, and professional background. The more diverse your board is, the greater the breadth of advice and knowledge you will gain from it." p. 127

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carla Harris spoke at a business school conference I attended last year. The crux of her message, and one of the main takeaways from her book (which was free at the conference, woot), was an important lesson: putting your head down and working hard will get you only so far. At a certain point, if you have not managed your relationships and network well in your work environment, you will start to lag and stagnate in your career.

This is a tough lesson that goes against the grain of a long-held fallacy that if we just work hard, we'll be successful. We will -- to a point. But once you hit that wall, relationships matter as much as if not more than ability. If there is no one to pound the table for you, as she says, moving up becomes more and more difficult.

This is probably also the most important thing I learned in business school as a whole, and for that reason probably worth reading the book. Sure, it's overall kind of cheesy with obvious thought exercises that people shelve. But still a decent, quick read.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ultimately, this is just another feel-good, rah-rah cheerleader book about how you can succeed if you just put your mind to it without a whole lot in the way of action items. If you just skip to the end of every chapter, there is a list of each of Carla's Pearls (of Wisdom) that summarize what you should take away from each chapter. I'd suggest reading those first and then flipping back to read more in-depth if any of it speaks to you or surprises you.

Perhaps this book is just better geared for a person who is just starting out in their career - maybe a great graduation gift for someone. As someone who is mid-career, I've heard much of this advice before and there wasn't anything overly insightful or inspiring in reading this book. It's a good, easily readable book. It just wasn't all that helpful for me, personally. For that reason, it was hard for me to motivate myself to actually read the book and, therefore, took me way longer to finish it that it reasonably should have.

[Steve Carle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I read this book at the start of my career. There are so many valuable points/pearls of wisdom that I found myself going back to read them before I started the next chapter. Once I completed the book, I went through and re-read all of them again. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone who is a high achiever but never likes to talk about it. To the people that just stay heads down and work their hearts out and don't like to get involved in the 'politics', this book is for you!

It's so true that so many decisions are made without you in the room, so you need to find advocates that can help tell your story when you are not there. You need to make as many connections as possible, especially in a world where people are changing jobs more frequently. One key sponsor you have today could be gone tomorrow, don't put all your eggs into 1 basket.

[Reba · Rating 4 out of 5]

So...this is way outside my comfort zone. I would never have picked this book up on my own, but I guess that is the magic and beauty of book clubs.

Diving right in, the first chapter. I actually loved it and found it very applicable. So far, so good, even if I am not a business type.

Chapter Two. Hehe. Talk about hitting a wall. Harris talks about creating and using a career agenda as a guide. Now don't get me wrong. This is sound, admirable advice. But so over my head! I have approached my career with a lackadaisical, "let's see if this works" approach rather than having a clear, well-defined career agenda. I kind of fell into my line of work, and while I love it, I had (nor have) no clear plan or ambitions. Often, I let circumstance, friends, and colleagues dictate my work decisions. I think I might be inspired to develop a career agenda.

Chapter Three. I am loving this chapter. I really like the idea of having a sense of ownership for your career. This quote from Harris sums it up for me, "While most major organizations have extensive professional development resources, it is your responsibility to take advantage of them and get any training, formal or informal, that you need. Remember, you are responsible for the day-to-day management of your career."

Chapter Four. Another good, succinct chapter about how to deal with a very distinct and real situation in the workplace, perception. I liked the idea of choosing your perception, and consciously guiding your, and others thoughts, until those perceptions become a reality. I am giving myself homework, thinking about which three adjectives I need to choose to describe myself, and the person I want to be at work.

Chapter Five. I like how Harris differentiates between an advisor, a mentor, and a sponsor. Interesting to think about purposefully assembling a "board of directors" to help you advance your career.

Chapter 6. Speak up! But listen as well :)

Chapter 7. Risks. Take them! But don't be foolish. A lot of good quotes in this chapter. One I really liked was from former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, "The price of inaction is greater than the cost of making a mistake". Another, from Harris herself, "Unless you take risks, you won't stretch, you won't grow, and you won't gain".

Chapter 8. Networks and relationships. "Anyone who thinks they can achieve success on their own is in for a rude awakening". Have a wide, varied network and use it!

Chapter 9. Balance. There is work, and there is passion. You need to balance these, or you will not have long-term success. (Even if you are passionate about work, you need to find other passions outside of work.)

Chapter 10. Expect to Win! Expect to win and you will. I like this reminder about having a confident attitude, and thinking like a winner. I am definitely a fan of the power of positive thinking.

Chapter 11. Harris is guided through life and sustained by her faith. It is reassuring to see someone publicly acknowledge their belief and dependence on God. Growing up in a Christian home, I have always held to many Judeo-Christian beliefs, even while I have not been happy with what many churches have become, or the people that claim Christianity. I like that Harris talks about her faith and how important it is to her, but she is not preachy about it.

All in all, a good read. I am glad I left my comfort zone behind and gave this a chance. Not every situation Harris discussed was 100% applicable, but so much of the book had a lot of common sense advice laid out in a clear, concise way, with practical examples. Makes me want to take some time and refocus how I approach work.

[Kristi Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla Harris, in person, is an inspirational figure. She came to speak at my company, and I must say that I am wiser because I heard her speak of her experiences. I believe that for someone in the beginning of their career, at the bottom of the ladder, this book could be life and career changing. For someone who has already been in the workplace for 30 years and is already at or close to the top, a bit less so. I recommend this book to anyone who feels stuck in their career and feels that others are to blame for their shortcomings. They're not. Only YOU are the architect of your own life and career.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I caught Carla at the CFA conference and highly recommend a live presentation / performance: She is dynamite in human form. Bought her books there as an excuse to meet, and found her warm and personable. A bit disappointed by this book, though. The pearls are great, and I've validated many if not all of them over the course of my career. The repeated nods to her faith are refreshing--rare to see in business. But the text is absurdly dry and rife with grammatical errors and clichés. Find a better editor, Carla!

[Jill Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was geared toward a niche market, financial professionals. The “lingo” Carla used required a level of financial understanding and the examples provided were all from within the financial industry. However, the shear factor that set this book apart from other business-minded books was the financial setting and financial experiences, as they related to Carla. It is for this reason I enjoyed the book, but for this same reason a broader audience may not.

For the full review, visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordp...

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book of career advice especially for women of colour - I enjoyed 'Carla's pearls of wisdom'. The writing was conversational, gets straight to the point and I enjoyed the personal stories. It felt like I was talking to a mentor! Some career strategies seemed a bit intense (as it's based on investment banking - known for being intense) and some are based on the Bible which isn't applicable for everyone, however, there were still many general learnings that could be applied to anything.

I hope to meet Carla one day.

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best career advice for folks in a corporate environment that I've ever read. I will be sharing my copy with my team at work. The last two chapters include a lot of references to Carla's Christian faith, which is unusual for a business book, but she tactfully explained that her faith is important to her and because she advocates for people to be their authentic selves, she felt including her faith was consistent with her message. I would love to meet Carla some day!

[Tristian Grenfell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have listened to Carla speak and enjoyed that more than the book. It's always hard to get through these kinds of books because you can't read like story. There are little golden nuggets of advice that are helpful- I am reminded that I am in control of my career and am my own biggest advocate. Build relationships, work hard, play the politics game. Keep learning and take risks. It's not complicated but we do need to be reminded from time to time.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Carla's Pearls at the end of each chapter and the examples to help explain how and why to use them. I've seen Carla speak several times now and she is extraordinary. The book had some great concepts but was missing her dynamic delivery, thus the 3 stars. Still very worthwhile and I'm still a Carla-believer.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lucky to read through the book written by Carla Harris, the practical manual „for thriving in the workplace“. The author is not only a tough banker with strong business acumen, but also a professional singer and a devout Christian. We can learn lots of strategies from her attitude, experience and talent.

[Peter P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Carla speak and I was captivated. As I was reading this book, I kept wait for THAT Carla to show up and it just didn't happen. She is warm and engaging in person and she gives the listener a nice insight into her personal story. The book feels preachy and impersonal. It has some solid advice, especially for ambitious early-career professionals, but it fell very short for me.

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational book in my personal view and, additionally to this, has a lot of useful practical advice on how to navigate career through corporate culture. There are several thing worth trying for sure but most important lesson for me is to value my authenticity and stand for skills and experience, take risks and be the change.

[Katarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a lot of fluff/things most people already know but I guess it’s good to read it again to pound it into my head. Best things:

Chapter 6 on leveraging your voice and the various self reflection questions!

Basically, just read the pearls at the end of the chapters and then you essentially get the same outcome if you had read it cover to cover.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is easily one of the best business books I’ve ever read. She really goes beyond the common phrases and ideas and suggests specific conversations and timing to progress your career. It wasn’t filled with fluff, and each sentence held value.