AUTHOR OF
Taking Charge of Your Career
For years, I have helped executives and professionals navigate the moments that shape careers: promotions, setbacks, difficult bosses, organizational change, burnout, and the constant question of "what’s next".
What I have learned is this: No one is coming to manage your career. That is why I wrote Taking Charge of Your Career: Your Blueprint for Success.
Find out where to pre-order the book now:
About the Book
This book is designed to help professionals take a more strategic and intentional approach to their future. Through practical tools, leadership insights, and real-world strategies, I share how to build visibility, navigate change, advocate for yourself, and position yourself for new opportunities.
Because today, career success is not just about working harder. It is about learning how to take charge of what comes next.
"Everyone tells you that you have to manage your own career. What they don’t tell you is what that means you should be doing and how to do so. Taking Charge of Your Career fills the gap."
Section Overview
Taking Charge of Your Career is written for mid-career professionals who are ready to take a more intentional approach to their future. Whether facing stalled growth, organizational change, or uncertainty about what comes next, this book provides practical strategies to help experienced professionals navigate today's workplace with greater clarity and confidence.
It is also a valuable resource for leaders who want to support their team members by helping them identify a direction, answer the question "Where am I going?", and take ownership of their career growth.
Reviews
“Taking Charge meets you right where you are—especially in those moments when your career feels stalled, unclear, or heavier than it should. With clarity and compassion, Dr. Wanda Wallace reminds us that while we can’t control every circumstance, we can take ownership of our choices, our growth, and our next move. This book is a steady, empowering guide for anyone ready to stop waiting for permission and start shaping a career that actually fits who they are and where they want to go.”
— Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
“Wanda Wallace brings rare clarity to one of the hardest challenges in modern careers: knowing what you can control, what you can influence, and what you must accept. This book offers practical tools and wise perspective for taking real ownership of your career—without illusion, blame, or false optimism. A grounded, deeply useful guide for building a career of meaning and impact.”
— Rob Kaiser, President, Kaiser Leadership Solutions, Fellow, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology & Society for Consulting Psychology.
“This is the book I wish I had when I was earlier in my career. Career management is a bit like an iceberg: a little is visible and most of what you need to know is hidden. Wanda Wallace reveals much of this essential information and wisdom that typically lies beneath the surface. Bringing insights from years of coaching senior executives and serving as a 'career whisperer,' she delivers pragmatic, actionable insights that will open opportunities and mitigate missteps. I will be recommending this book to my graduate students, executive education participants, and coaching clients who seek credible pathways to maximize their impact and success as leaders.”
— Eric J. McNulty, Co-author, You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When it Matters Most and Harvard-affiliated educator.
“Wanda has played a pivotal role in my career progression these last 15 years, she is a trusted advisor and confidante. What makes her different is she gets to know the person, their behavioral style, their vulnerabilities and acts as a true partner in navigating career successes and challenges. Her feedback is never sugar-coated, its constructive and supportive at the same time. She is a true partner and a friend.”
— Susan O’Flynn, Head of Equities for France, Belgium and Luxembourg, Morgan Stanley.
“Taking Charge is the rigorous, compassionate guide to the one career no one else can manage for you. Wallace — researcher, executive coach, and someone who has seen every avoidable mistake made by very capable people — gives you the frameworks to plot your path, own your brand, and navigate setbacks without letting them define you. This is not about hustle. It's about clarity. And it's the most useful career book you'll read this year.”
— Shannon Huffman Polson, Author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male Dominated Organization in the World.
Speaking Topics
Managing Your Career
You have probably been told that you need to "manage your own career", but what does that mean? We talk about key skills to develop, how to think about next steps in your career, finding mentors and sponsors and a better metaphor for career progression than climbing the ladder (it’s more like climbing a tree).
Understanding and Nurturing Your Brand
A practical roadmap along with exercises and tactics for defining your brand, telling people about it and enhancing it.
Having Better Conversations
Tactics for improving the quality of all types of conversations, particularly with different, often challenging, personalities. How to adapt your style to get better results without losing your strengths in the process.
Navigating Difficult, Conflict-Filled Conversations
This is a three-part series if done in full. Part One focuses on how to manage a conflict situation when there is tension between the parties: How to assess the situation, the architecture of a productive conversation and the skills you need to succeed.
Asking for and Receiving Feedback
You need feedback to progress and although you keep asking how to improve, you are probably not getting great feedback. First, the secret to getting better feedback is to ask a better question. The session explains how to craft that question. Second, you have to receive feedback in a way that encourages people to give you more. There is an art in hearing tough feedback, understanding what it means in practice, not getting defensive and taking action. The session gives tips on all of those.
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