As President of Wakerly Partners, Inc. and C-Suite Resources, Inc., Ralph Wakerly, has spent the better part of his career helping individuals and companies to achieve success.
After spending years working in large (and small) corporate companies, in 2002 he branched out on his own. Wakerly Partners provides the essential knowledge of success by encompassing career building, investing, and entrepreneurship.
In 2008, Ralph, with a team of like-minded, innovative healthcare executives, created C-Suite Resources. Since initiation, C-Suite Resources has helped companies test, position, and launch innovative products and services to improve the healthcare industry.
Ralph attributes his successful career, and life, by following this equation: Use your talents to help and serve others. Be a good Christian. Pursue the work you love. Have confidence. Have fun. Work hard. Love. Learn. Serve. Give. Be generous.
Q&A with Ralph
What led you to your current role?
Shortly after graduating with my MBA, I set long-term goals that included becoming a Marketing Vice President and being financially independent. For the first two decades of my career, I was focused on moving up the corporate ladder. After getting older and wiser I realized those weren’t the most important things.
I decided it was about using my time and talents to help others. That’s what led me to teaching, coaching, and consulting in areas where I’ve learned something. However, you need to keep on learning in order to be an effective consultant and teacher, so I stay active in my corporate consulting role.
What do you hope to accomplish with both your organizations?
My independent consulting firm, Wakerly Partners, helps individuals succeed by providing them with education, consulting and coaching on key life skills and knowledge.
C-Suite Resources is a market intelligence, education and executive advisory firm that helps companies who serve the healthcare industry to launch new products, build their brand, and improve their sales and marketing effectiveness.
What’s one thing many people don’t know or understand about your organization(s)?
The most interesting thing is the rationale behind having the two companies. Earlier in my career I was the head of marketing for a leading healthcare IT consulting firm. I decided I wanted to use those skills to help individuals, so I thought, what is the best way to do that?
As a consulting firm, the “product” was our people. Our work was focused on building individuals’ brands, which collectively was our company brand. So by launching Wakerly Partners, I applied those learnings and techniques to help people build their personal brand and further their career success. And C-Suite Resources does the same, but the focus is on helping companies become successful.
What has been the most difficult obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
Staying focused on the higher purpose of what you do each day and why you do it. It’s easy to get caught up in material or trivial pursuits that don’t matter in the long run.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I find a number of things rewarding about my job. Hearing from a former student say they got a promotion by applying something they learned from my class. Or when a consulting client tells us our work helped improve their company’s performance. And when someone I helped lands a new job after applying new ideas we discussed. It really comes down to anytime I hear we helped someone achieve their goals—then I know our work mattered.
What initiative or program are you most proud of?
In life, I would say raising two wonderful children who we are very proud of. If it’s about business, it would be my website. It was born out of a desire to compile an actionable and insightful library of resources with the sole purpose of helping people succeed. It focuses on career success, investing success, and entrepreneurship. It’s not a commercial venture designed to generate revenue, but a way to give back and serve others by sharing what I know.
What inspires you?
I get motivated by knowing that I’m doing something I enjoy and it can positively make a difference in someone’s life.
What’s something that’s helped you that you would like our audience to know?
There is a great book I recommend: How to Find the Work You Love by Laurence Boldt. Among other things, the author asks you to think about being on your deathbed and answering this simple question: “What do you want the message of your life to have been?”
