Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Map and Launch Your Career Strategy with Susan Barber

In this episode of the Be the CEO of Your Career summer series, Tammy Gooler Loeb explores the fourth practice in her framework: Map and Launch Your Career Strategy. Once professionals have connected with their values, explored possibilities, and found a direction that fits, the next challenge is turning that clarity into action. This means creating a real plan with steps and timelines, one that is grounded not only in aspirations but also in practical realities.

Tammy brings the practice to life through her conversation with Susan Barber, a leading executive coach and former corporate executive. Susan spent more than two decades in leadership roles while navigating perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-doubt, and a tendency to stay quiet rather than risk saying the wrong thing. Even while being recognized as a top talent, she didn't fully realize how her habit of staying in the background was affecting her career.

That changed when Susan received difficult feedback that she wasn't visible enough. Initially, the message was painful and unsettling, but Susan chose not to ignore it. With the help of a business mentor, she reframed the feedback and recognized that speaking up wasn't simply about promoting herself. By withholding information, ideas, and the accomplishments of her team, she could unintentionally limit both her own impact and the ability of others to make informed decisions.

Susan began preparing differently, speaking up more intentionally, and bringing her team into important conversations. Those changes transformed how she showed up as a leader and eventually became the foundation of her work around visibility. Later, when she made the decision to leave corporate leadership and build her own business, she approached the transition with an understanding of her actual circumstances, including the resources and support available to her.

In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:

What it means to Map and Launch Your Career StrategyWhy career clarity must eventually turn into actionCreating a plan grounded in both goals and practical realitiesWhy readiness doesn't always feel like confidenceHow difficult feedback can become a catalyst for changeRecognizing when staying safe is keeping you hiddenThe difference between visibility and self-promotionWhy speaking up can benefit your team as well as your careerHow Susan reframed feedback into concrete actionPreparing in advance to show up with greater confidenceBuilding a career strategy around your actual resources and circumstancesWhy launching a plan requires more than quietly preparing behind the scenesHow becoming visible can create new opportunitiesLearn more:

Read: The Visibility Factor: Breakthrough Your Fears, Stand In Your Own Power And Become The Authentic Leader You Were Meant To BeRead: Your Journey To Visibility Workbook: A Proven Action Plan to Achieve Career SuccessListen: The Visibility Factor podcastVisit: SusanMBarber.comLinkedIn: SusanBarberCoaching

Your CEO of Your Career Move:

Look at your career plan honestly.

Is there a piece of it you've built quietly in a way that's still keeping you hidden?

Maybe you've updated your résumé but haven't told anyone you're exploring new opportunities.

Maybe you've created a website but haven't shared it.