I saw Ms. Harris speak several months ago at a Step Up Women’s Network event. At the time, I didn’t even know she had written a book. But after hearing her speak I ran home to my computer and ordered her book from Amazon. Ms. Harris, if you have never heard of her is a Wall Street “superstar” and is currently a managing director at Morgan Stanley. But the thing I found most interesting about her was not that she had made it on Wall Street in an era when women…especially women of color weren’t plentiful but that she’d managed to do so and still pursue her passions. You see Ms. Harris also moonlights as a gospel singer! She’s performed at Carnegie Hall! And released a number of CDs.

As someone who works as a consultant or contractor both onsite and offsite I found her first chapter on “Authenticity – The Power is You” the one that really resonated with me. Especially in the job climate today with more candidates applying for positions it’s more important than ever to stay true to yourself and work the jobs that you enjoy or you won’t excel.

The day your company hired you, someone else did not get the job because you were the best candidate. They hired you because you had the best blend of skills, personality, and potential and a unique blend of values and abilities. Over any person they interviewed, the company felt that you could best execute the job, fulfill their need for talent, and satisfy their specific need for a discrete skill set. You got the job because you had a competitive advantage over all of the other candidates. That important competitive advantage? You. No one else can be you the way you can; this is your source of power within the organization. One of the keys to your long-term success in any organization is to own the person who you really are.

Sure you can take the jobs just for the paycheck but don’t work with people or companies whose values don’t align with yours. You will learn to regret it. You will dread working and you won’t do your best work. So why bother.

I highly recommend that you read Ms. Harris’s book. It has some great tips and ideas about overall career management. Chapter 4 is a gem “Perception is the Copilot to Reality: How People Perceive You Will Directly Affect How They Deal with You”.

So check it out. And after you read it drop me a line and let me know what you think.