"This inspiring book will teach you how to unlock your gifts and release your power and potential."
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Great Leaders Grow
"This wonderfully practical and inspiring book is based on a belief I cherish: that all humans are creative and have talent."
--Margaret J. Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science and So Far From Home
"Maruska and Perry's book shows how we can harness our talents in ways that expand our horizons, ramp up our ability to bring out our best, and energize those around us in the same way. Indispensable."
--Michael Ray, professor emeritus, Stanford Business School, coauthor of Creativity in Business, and author of The Highest Goal
"This book offers you the keys to ignite your personal power."
--from the foreword by Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge
"I've seen the key practices in Take Charge of Your Talent work with hundreds of people--from front-line 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
"I've 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 organization's most precious resource, its talent pool. In so doing, th

Don Maruska is the founder and CEO of three Silicon Valley companies, venture investor in others, and recipient of the National Innovators Award. For over 10 years Don wrote the "Business Success" column which appeared in over 200 newspapers in the U.S. and overseas. He has worked with senior managers and teams in Fortune 1000 firms such as Wells Fargo, Accenture, Intel, and Microsoft as well as government agencies, non-profits, and more than 50 regional and local government organizations. Jay Perry is one of the founders of Coach University and the International Coach Federation. He has developed and led Coach Training Programs for blue-chip companies such as AT&T, Glaxo Smith Kline, Genentech, Avaya, Shell, and Schlumberger. For 12 years he was president of AIP, Inc., a training and consulting company in New York and Los Angeles.

Foreword Introduction: The Perfect Moment Is Now Your Take Charge Checklist 1st Key: Power Up Your Talent Story Chapter 1: Be Your Own Hero Chapter 2: Explore a Talent Catalyst Conversation Chapter 3: Connect with a Catalyst 2nd Key: Accelerate through Obstacles Chapter 4: Keep Your Hopes Humming Chapter 5: Grab Opportunities to Grow Chapter 6: Challenge Yourself to Stretch 3rd Key: Multiply the Payoffs for Yourself and Others Chapter 7: Create Enduring Career Assets Chapter 8: Share the Wealth and Everyone Wins Chapter 9: Champion a Take-Charge Talent Culture The Take Charge of Your Talent Manifesto Resource A: Frequently Asked Questions about the Talent Catalyst Conversation Resource B: A Sample Talent Catalyst Conversation Transcript and Summary Services Available to Support You Join Us Online Notes Acknowledgments Index About the Authors