Strategize to Win

How can you build a career that not only endures turbulent economic times but also thrives within them? In Strategize to Win, executive leader and author Carla A. Harris argues that success in the modern professional world requires explicit strategy—not luck, loyalty, or longevity. She contends that what used to work—staying with one company for decades and moving quietly up the ranks—has become obsolete. Today, your career must be actively managed like any other investment: adaptable, intentional, and fueled by what Harris calls performance currency and relationship currency.

Harris’s message, built on decades of experience on Wall Street and expanded from her earlier book Expect to Win, is both practical and personal. She offers a roadmap for anyone starting out, stepping up, or starting over in their career. Her goal is to help you not only find fulfilling work but learn how to position yourself for long-term influence—what she calls your professional platform.

Rethinking the Career Ladder

Once, climbing the ladder meant staying inside one company’s four walls for your entire working life—an era when a twenty-five-year tenure at IBM or Chase Manhattan Bank symbolized success. Harris argues that those days are gone. Technology has disrupted industries, flattened hierarchies, and shortened organizational life cycles. Today, you must think of your career as a series of five-year “modules,” each building new content and positioning you for the next phase. You might work for six different companies—or even several industries—but each module should deliberately expand your skills, networks, and exposure. As Harris writes, success is now about movement with intention rather than loyalty for its own sake.

From Content to Currency

In the book’s first section, “Starting Out,” Harris explains why many professionals feel disoriented after graduation or a career setback: they chase jobs instead of content. Content, she says, is the foundation—the building blocks of what you love doing, what stimulates your intellect, and what contributes to growth. By identifying the components that make you eager to work each day (analysis, creativity, teamwork, persuasion), you create a compass to guide your decisions, even when economic conditions are tough. Content fuels motivation and adaptability; jobs come and go.

But mastery of content alone isn’t enough. Once inside an organization, Harris shifts focus to two essential currencies. Performance currency is earned by delivering outstanding work repeatedly; it builds your reputation for execution. Relationship currency is developed through genuine connections that make people want to advocate for you when decisions are made behind closed doors. Over time, performance currency delivers diminishing returns while relationship currency becomes the distinguishing factor for promotions and leadership roles. (Note: Harris’s focus on workplace networks echoes Adam Grant’s “Give and Take,” which explores how strategic generosity enhances influence.)

Navigating Upward and Outward

As careers mature, Harris identifies three major transitions: stepping up, starting over, and managing through change. “Stepping up” means transforming from a strong performer into someone who influences environments, creates new opportunities, and builds teams. Here, communication, perception, and strategic risk-taking become more critical than technical skill. “Starting over” addresses those moments when professionals are “stuck”—disenchanted or displaced—and need to reinvent their trajectories without abandoning their hard-won expertise. Harris prefers the word reposition over “reinvent.” You don’t erase the past; you leverage it.

She also tackles how to manage involuntary change: layoffs, mergers, new bosses, or shifting industries. In these times, your ability to read the signs—what’s being communicated implicitly through silence or behavior—is vital. Leaders will rarely say outright that you’re being sidelined; you must learn to interpret subtle signals, ask better questions, and reposition yourself quickly.

Positioning for Leadership and Legacy

In her final chapters, Harris examines how professionals cultivate self-awareness and executive presence. Every organization has profiles—good soldiers, yes-men, arguers, chiefs—and knowing your own helps you decide where and how you’ll thrive. She urges readers to intentionally design their “professional brand” and align it with environments that value authenticity and contribution. True leadership, she concludes, begins with clarity about who you are and your willingness to leverage and amplify others’ strengths. Her LEADER framework—Leverage, Efficiency, Action, Diversity, Engagement, and Responsibility—offers a blueprint for those ready to lead with integrity and influence.

"Life is a marathon, not a sprint," Harris reminds us. Whether you’re just starting out, leveling up, or starting anew, your career success demands strategy, awareness, and courage. You must plan to win, prepare to win, and then expect to win.

In short, Strategize to Win is a playbook for navigating modern work with purpose and resilience. It’s about shifting your narrative—from waiting to be rewarded to deliberately designing your path. In every chapter, Harris teaches you to think like an architect, speak like a leader, and act like your career depends on it—because, as she argues, it does.

Carla Harris begins with a simple but powerful idea: before chasing a job title, you must know your content—the building blocks of what makes work meaningful to you. Many graduates and mid-career professionals accept jobs for money or convenience, yet wonder later why they feel unfulfilled. Harris reframes the process: instead of asking “What job do I want?” start by asking “What kind of work makes me feel alive?”

Three Pages to Clarity

Her exercise involves three clean sheets of paper. On page one, you’ll write: “If money were no object, how would I spend my days?” This helps identify the content you truly love—whether it’s problem-solving, writing, negotiating, or creating. On page two, you’ll ask, “What jobs have this content?” This broadens your field beyond narrow job titles; if you love selling, you might find fulfillment selling art, pharmaceuticals, or technology. On page three, “What skills, experiences, or education do I need to be eligible?” marks your roadmap for readiness.

From Dream to Reality

Consider Gregory, a student she counsels who loves sports and technology but believes he can’t combine the two. Through Harris’s questioning, Gregory realizes he could study mechanical engineering or biology, leading to careers like designing prosthetic limbs or athletic equipment. A single conversation turns vague passion into tangible pathways. Harris shows how curiosity and research—talking to people, asking questions, volunteering—transform dreams into viable careers. (Note: This echoes design thinking principles found in Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.)

Don’t Chase the Title—Chase the Content

In volatile economies, your ideal job might not be available. Harris insists that the right content matters more than the perfect role. A telemarketing job, for instance, can teach persuasive selling skills that later translate to high-level sales roles. Accepting jobs that build your skill base—not just pay your bills—positions you competitively when the market rebounds. Conversely, taking a random job outside your content can make future transitions harder. Money should be a factor, not the foundation of your decision.

“Content matters,” Harris insists. “Even if your primary reason for accepting a position is money, there should be something about it that is consistent with your aspirations.”

Doing this foundational work early in your career helps you make informed, strategic decisions later. You won’t panic in downturns or feel trapped in mismatched roles. You’ll pursue opportunities that align with your passions, abilities, and growth trajectory—the essential first step in strategizing to win.

Success, Harris explains, is transactional: a combination of what you produce and who supports you. She defines two critical forms of professional capital—performance currency and relationship currency. You must build both deliberately; relying on one alone will cap your progress.

Performance Currency: Putting Points on the Board

Performance currency is generated by doing your job exceptionally well. Deliver assignments ahead of deadlines, add analysis beyond what’s requested, and create solutions that shine. Harris calls early achievements “points on the board.” They demonstrate intellect and execution ability and earn validation from your superiors, which can be traded for visibility, promotions, or trust during missteps.

Her formula is simple: Performance Currency = (Intellect + Experience + Strong Execution) × Multiple Occurrences. But performance currency has diminishing returns; after a certain point, consistency becomes expectation. Promotions at senior levels depend not just on what you do, but who believes you can do more.

Relationship Currency: Who Speaks for You

Relationship currency, on the other hand, is built over time—through genuine connections, advocacy, and trust. Harris draws a vivid contrast: performance currency gets you noticed; relationship currency gets you represented. As people ascend in organizations, decisions are increasingly judgment-based, and judgment is influenced by relationships. She urges readers to stop believing “my work will speak for me.” Work doesn’t speak—people do.

Building relationship currency requires what she calls “frequency of touch.” Have regular interactions, lunches, and collaborative projects with people at all levels. She recalls how she built rapport with a once-dismissive trader by consistently bringing coffee and conversation until mutual trust formed. Relationship-building isn’t manipulation—it’s investment in mutual success.

“Your relationships are your medium of exchange,” Harris writes. “They will enhance your professional agenda, open new doors, and even forgive a mistake.”

Balancing the Two

In early career stages, performance currency dominates—your focus should be on proving consistent excellence. As you move higher, relationship currency becomes the decisive factor. Harris observes that many women over-invest in performance currency, striving for perfection while neglecting networking, which often stalls their advancement. Men, she notes, tend to balance both earlier, leveraging social connections as soon as they build credibility.

The lesson: master your craft to earn performance currency, then spend it to build relationships. Over time, relationships sustain success when performance alone cannot. In corporate ecosystems, your true value lies not just in delivering, but in being known, trusted, and championed.

Many bright professionals stall not because of capability, but communication. Harris devotes an entire section to how effective communication—and the ability to read organizational signals—can make or break a career. It’s not just what you say; it’s how what’s unsaid shapes outcomes.

Communicate with Impact

Modern workplaces host multiple generations, each with distinct communication styles. Millennials might view texts and emails as equal to meetings, but Baby Boomers assign more value to in-person conversations. Harris warns that technology can erode professional presence: glancing at your phone mid-meeting signals disengagement. She advises tailoring your communication for the receiver—speak their language, whether verbal warmth or concise analytics.

When articulating requests or arguments, clarity is power. Asking for a raise without evidence—“I think I deserve one”—rarely works. Presenting specifics—“I contributed X thousand dollars in revenue, recruited Y new hires, and saved Z in expenses”—transforms emotion into persuasion.

Emotional Intelligence and Professionalism

Your emotions reflect authenticity, but must be managed. Harris cautions against “all-or-nothing” emotional displays—shouting, slamming doors, or crying at work. Such reactions overshadow competence. Instead, channel passion into teamwork and empathy. Use “we” more than “I.” Giving credit builds credibility; teams rally to leaders who share victories.

Learning to Hear What Isn’t Said

Perhaps the most transformative skill in Harris’s playbook is reading implicit signals. Promotions aren’t denied outright—they stall quietly in missed assignments and vague feedback. She tells the story of Michael, who kept hearing “you’re doing a good job” yet never advanced. The unspoken sign? His company saw him as reliable, not dynamic. Harris teaches you to spot when work remains repetitive, feedback lacks specificity, or challenging projects go elsewhere—each a hint that advancement is unlikely.

When signals are unclear, ask questions that invite transparency: “Are there particular skills I need to demonstrate for the next level?” “What do successful performers here do differently?” If ambiguity persists, consult mentors who can decode what you’re hearing. (Note: This aligns with Daniel Goleman’s concept of social intelligence—understanding emotional context to navigate power dynamics.)

“You can’t fix it if you don’t know that it’s broken,” Harris says. “Reading the signs will help you keep your career moving forward.”

Effective communicators listen beyond words, adapt their messages to diverse audiences, and learn to diagnose silence. In Harris’s system, this fluency separates those who merely work from those who lead—because leadership begins with understanding what everyone else misses.

In every career, change is inevitable—sometimes chosen, sometimes forced. Harris’s chapters on managing through change and repositioning yourself teach how to turn upheaval into opportunity. Whether you lose a sponsor, face corporate restructuring, or are laid off, your power lies in deliberate repositioning.

Embracing Change with Strategy

When change arrives—a new boss, merger, or job loss—Harris insists you respond with strategic calm rather than fear. Evaluate what’s happened: Is leadership changing because of success, failure, or restructuring? Is the new manager a change agent or a placeholder? The answer informs whether you should stay, adapt, or pivot. When a respected leader arrives, position yourself early as an ally with a “can-do” attitude. Offer insights, anticipate challenges, and demonstrate readiness to execute. When leadership weakens or your team’s relevance fades, start networking for new opportunities swiftly.

If your sponsor—your advocate behind closed doors—leaves the company, move quickly to identify another. Ideally, you should have multiple sponsors to safeguard against turnover. Use departing sponsors’ relationships to connect with others: ask them to broker introductions to credible successors.

Turning Setbacks into Strategy

Layoffs and career disruptions are painful but can become launchpads. Harris’s story of Jerry, an engineer laid off twice after industry consolidation, demonstrates why rushing into similar roles repeats the same outcome. Instead, analyze your skills, industries, and competitive trends—could your engineering precision serve new markets like healthcare or energy? Harris encourages viewing transitions as diagnostic moments: “Is this seat right? Is this house right? Or is this person the problem?” Each layer helps identify what needs change—the job, company, or relationships. Never abandon a good “house” because of one difficult colleague; find ways to work around them.

Repositioning, Not Reinventing

When returning to work after hiatus or switching industries, Harris rejects the cliché “reinvent yourself.” Instead, she says: reposition. List every transferable skill from professional, volunteer, and personal experiences. She shows how Steve, a stay-at-home father active in parent associations, translated leadership and financial management into qualifications for corporate roles. Connecting the dots between past content and future value reframes you from novice to seasoned contributor.

If you’ve been out of work for years, highlight how you remained relevant—courses, volunteer projects, or technology proficiency. Social media literacy and basic software skills (like Excel or PowerPoint) now signal employability. When a direct return isn’t possible, use Harris’s “step strategy”: take a transitional role near your target field, then leverage internal relationships and performance currency to reach the desired position within 18–24 months.

“Leverage your experience,” Harris advises. “You are not creating a new you; you are connecting who you’ve been to who you are becoming.”

In turbulent times, repositioning yourself—rather than starting from zero—preserves confidence and credibility. Change is inevitable, but with awareness and planning, each transition becomes not a setback but a strategic pivot toward the next win.

The final arc of Harris’s framework brings you to leadership—what she calls positioning your profile for success. Leadership is not just about authority; it’s about knowing who you are and how your profile fits within your environment. Every workplace contains archetypes, and understanding yours reveals how to thrive and lead authentically.

Understanding Your Profile

Harris identifies five profiles: the Good Soldier, who executes flawlessly and follows orders; the Yes-Man, who agrees with authority to stay safe; the Arguer, who challenges everything and demands logic; the Safe Pair of Hands, reliable and steady but passive; and the Chief, visionary and decisive, comfortable with risk and leadership. No profile is inherently right or wrong—the challenge is knowing which one suits your personality and which environments value it.

Evolving Toward Leadership

No matter your starting point, Harris insists you can become a leader. The Good Soldier must develop vision and risk-taking; the Yes-Man must learn to express dissent; the Arguer must embrace collaboration; and the Safe Pair of Hands must demonstrate strategic thinking. The Chief, already a leader archetype, must refine humility and balance conviction with inclusiveness. Leadership, she argues, begins when self-awareness meets action.

The LEADER Framework

Harris compresses the essence of impactful leadership into six letters: L-E-A-D-E-R. L is for Leverage—harnessing the ideas and talents around you. Great leaders know intellect isn’t monopolized; they amplify others’ contributions. E is for Efficiency—clear expectations and transparent success metrics. A is for Action—decisiveness fueled by courage (“The price of inaction is greater than the cost of making a mistake”). D stands for Diversity—valuing multiple perspectives not only because it’s ethical, but because innovation demands it. E is for Engagement—connecting personally, praising effort, and motivating individuals based on their unique drivers. R is for Responsibility and Responsiveness—owning outcomes and attending swiftly to your team’s needs.

Leadership in Motion

“It happened on my watch, so I own it,” Harris writes. True leaders don’t deflect blame; they build trust by being accountable and responsive.

In Harris’s system, leadership is less about hierarchy and more about influence—creating environments where others can succeed. Authenticity, courage, and clarity of purpose form the cornerstone. By aligning your natural profile with the organization’s culture and leading through leverage and empathy, you transform from contributor to catalyst.

Ultimately, Harris redefines leadership as strategic awareness paired with service. You don’t win by dominating others; you win by elevating them—one strategic, courageous, relational decision at a time.