Don Maruska - Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life

More Praise for Take Charge of Your Talent

This book offers you the keys to ignite your personal power.

from the foreword by Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge

Ive seen the key practices in Take Charge of Your Talent work with hundreds of peoplefrom frontline employees to CEO. Read it and help your career and your organization thrive.

Frank Benest, Senior Advisor for Next Generation Initiatives, International City/County Management Association

Ive long been aware that even the best of our company-sponsored talent development programs reach only a select few, leaving tremendous potential in the organization untapped. This powerful, persuasive book effectively supplies the tools for all employees to gain a fresh perspective, articulate aspirations, and recognize opportunities while confronting concerns and obstacles to gain results.

Ursula Kiel-Dixon, Special Projects Manager, Corporate Center Human Resources, ThyssenKrupp AG

In the new era of free agents, this book provides exactly what both individuals and organizations are looking for. Don and Jay have delivered a proven and easy-to-understand process for the development of an organizations most precious resource, its talent pool. In so doing, they inspire more job satisfaction and greater career fulfillment.

John Steinhart, Silicon Valley human resources consultant and former Director, Sloan Executive Program, Stanford Graduate School of Business

The heart of this book is a profound but easy-to-learn approach to becoming a generous listener. Using the transformational power of this mindful practice, Maruska and Perry expertly guide the reader in a step-by-step process for recognizing, catalyzing, and optimizing your talent while helping others discover and express theirs. Highly recommended.

Michael J. Gelb, author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and coauthor of Brain Power

All too often, I hear promising young talents speak of being lucky in their careers. I hate that. You make your own luck by knowing your strengths, embracing risk, and leading change. This book has the keys to unlocking what makes you thrive so that you can give voice to your ambition with authenticity and purpose.

Denny Marie Post, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Red Robin International

The world is filled with people who never realize their potential, many of whom never even realize they have unfulfilled potential. Take Charge of Your Talent provides an effective game plan for helping people move toward their hopes for what they might become.

Jim Thompson, founder, Positive Coaching Alliance, and author of Elevating Your Game

This practical book, filled with detailed coaching and useful exercises, reflects the extensive experience of the authors in coaching executives. This book will help you clarify, enhance, and find ways to apply your talents.

Jim Clawson, Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Take Charge of Your Talent is a positive and refreshing approach to talent development. The Take Charge methodology offers techniques on how to own and grow your career while supporting the personal and professional development of your colleaguescreating a win-win for all!

Rene Robertson, former Director of Talent Development, Verizon

The powerful tools offered in this book provide the only real security we have in todays job marketthe ability to take control and fully realize ones talent.

Dawn Legg, Construction Liaison, Topaz Solar Farms, First Solar

The gem of Take Charge of Your Talent is that it reinforces the (often lost) reality that there are opportunities at any time, in any business climate. It is the prospect for meaningful productivity using your unique talents that lights the fire.

John C. Summer, Director of Business Development, Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC

I had the opportunity to experience the Talent Catalyst Conversation with many of my HR colleagues, and it was amazing to see how following the process led to igniting possibilities for the participants. I hope Maruska and Perry realize their vision of 20 million people in 20 countries having these keys to take charge of their talent by the year 2020!

Donna Vaillancourt, President, County Personnel Administrators Association of California

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR TALENT

Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life

Don Maruska & Jay Perry

Take Charge of Your Talent

Copyright 2013 by Don Maruska

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

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First Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-60994-723-1

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60994-736-1

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60994-737-8

2012-1

Cover design by PemaStudio. Project management and interior design by

VJBScribe. Copyediting by Elissa Rabellino. Proofreading by Don Roberts.

Index by George Draffan. Interior photos: Don Maruska, Bella Castle Photography;

Jay Perry, Jen Fariello Photography.

We dedicate this book to our parents, spouses, and children, and to the many teachers who nurtured us and encouraged us to take charge of our talent.