What I learned as a founder from Carla Harris...

In 2005, I had the pleasure of seeing Carla Harris at an SEO event. She's the vice chairman at Morgan Stanley and has, for many years, been the torchbearer for diversity on Wall Street.

Most recently, I had the amazing opportunity to actually chat with Carla, and I was enthralled by how relevant her advice was to most founders. So I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up a copy of her book, "Lead to Win". In her book, Carla outlines several key lessons that entrepreneurs should keep in mind when launching their own business. Here are a few of the most important takeaways:

1. Be you - You must acknowledge that your authenticity is your distinct competitive advantage and should never be submerged. You have been chosen to sit in this leadership seat because of your unique qualities. And when you bring your authentic self into that seat, you motivate and inspire others to bring their authentic selves into that environment.

2. Don't be afraid to take risks - Harris emphasizes the importance of taking calculated risks in order to succeed. She advises entrepreneurs to be bold and to reach for their goals, even if it means stepping outside their comfort zone.

3. Find the right people -  Harris stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. She recommends building a team of people who have different strengths and who can support you in achieving your goals.

4. Be crystal clear - A leader’s job is to create clarity, even if they cannot see clearly. Even if you cannot define clarity for the long term, you can define it for a short period of time – as a powerful, impactful, and influential leader, it is your job to define what success looks like, and when your team is clear about that, people feel motivated to outperform that which has already been defined.