ARTICLE
500 people 'climb together' at Lehigh Valley Women's Summit at Cedar Crest College. Perception matters in business. That's one message Carla Harris, vice chair and managing director at Morgan Stanley, delivered Wednesday to about 500 people at the Lehigh Valley Women's Summit. Her energetic 25-minute speech at Cedar Crest College's Alumnae Hall brought rounds of applause, laughter and possibly some soul-searching. Filling the morning speaker slots were Harris and Lydia Fenet of famous New York auction house Christie's for this year's summit theme: "Climb together." Harris has worked on Wall Street for about three decades and has been named to Fortune's "Most Influential List." Former President Barack Obama appointed Harris in 2013 to chair the National Women's Business Council. One of her big takeaways: It matters what others think of you at work. "A very big component of your success equation is the perception that the marketplace has about you … what lens are they looking through when they are looking at you?" Harris said. "If you want to maximize your success in the seat you are sitting in or you aspire to sit in, you must understand the adjectives that are associated with success at your company." PHOTO GALLERY: The Lehigh Valley Women's Summit, with the theme "Climb Together," was hosted by Cedar Crest College, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Women's Business Council, and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, took place in Alumnae Hall at Cedar Crest College in Allentown on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Keynote speakers included Lydia Wickliffe Fenet, senior vice president of Christie's Auction House, and Wall Street expert Carla Harris. She also encouraged organizations to build a diverse network of employees. "You should have people who are juniors and people who are seniors, because those of you who are boomers like me, the access and the information that you get from [Generation] Xers and millennials is very valuable in your network," Harris said. Fenet, the summit's first speaker, also dispensed tips, such as how to perfect a "poker face" in dealing with crises. She referred to one tip as "the strike method," as in striking down the gavel in pursuing a sale or anything important. She recalled calling a Christie's executive every day for three weeks to get an internship. "I did every single thing they asked me to do and more," said Fenet, who is senior vice president at Christie's. "At the end of my internship, they asked me if I wanted a job." The rest of the day featured breakout sessions on such topics as "The Art of Selling" and "How to Achieve a Healthy Dialogue." Alison Levine, whose varied career has led her to jobs in business and politics, gave an afternoon address. She summited Mount Everest in 2010 as team captain of the first American women's expedition to the mountain. The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Women's Business Council, the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Cedar Crest collaborated on the event. Organizers gave out about $8,000 in scholarships to high school, college and adult learners, board member Laura Azzalina said. Cedar Crest's outgoing President Carmen Twillie Ambar congratulated organizers on keeping the women's summit going and helping to empower women. "You can't walk until you see somebody else walk, and you can't run until you see somebody else run ... " said Twillie Ambar, who is stepping down this summer to become president of Oberlin College and Conservatory. You can learn more about the summit at lehighvalleywomen.com. Read the original article here.