Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life
Maruska and Perry team up to help readers use their brains and talent at a time when most U.S. workers are simply not engaged. As most human-resources gurus will emphasize, careers are of your own making, which is exactly what the authors intend to teach (and, along the way, sell more than a few of their courses). The process itself is based on a Socratic dialogue, well scripted and framed, covering ephemeral hopes and fears as well as very practical actions. The three steps—power up your talent story, accelerate through obstacles, and multiply the payoffs for yourself and others—represent a good approach. The real issue will be identifying a talent catalyst who has these characteristics: a willing partner who asks open-ended questions, a generous listener, among others. No stumbling here: scripts and summaries and prescriptive steps are well documented. The narrative is a bit turgid, but that seems suitable for this subject. --Barbara Jacobs