DeAngela Burns-Wallace certainly has an impressive resume. A former US diplomat who has also held executive leadership roles at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri, Burns-Wallace uses all of this life experience to create a leadership memoir that will inspire most anybody who reads it. As the author notes, MADE FOR THIS: Lessons in Leadership, Legacy, and Living Unapologetically is “a call to rise, reflect, and own the path you were born to walk.”
In her introduction, the author outlines several designations that made her who she is. It’s a list that includes Black woman, mother, daughter, mentor, mentee, and many more. However, she concludes all of this by adding that “I am just me.” Rather than being a self-centered reflection on her life story, this book always ensures that Burns-Wallace's material is relatable to anybody—whatever their own origin story. As she states, “We are each unique, multifaceted, and powerful beings that move through this life trying to learn, connect, love, and dream.” Though Burns-Wallace focuses on her own personal experiences, the book foregrounds the idea of individuality and integrity in everybody.
MADE FOR THIS is a book that details the author’s life from her early years, through her education, and out into the world for her varied diplomatic postings. What shines through is how she has been open to learning from every experience, allowing her to adapt and reinvent her approach with the benefits of that experience. The memoir is told in a bright and breezy style, each chapter opening with the lyrics to a song that the author found particularly inspiring.
The key takeaways from the book are helpfully summarized in a final bonus chapter, where Burns-Wallace recounts the conversations that she has held at home with her associates. They discuss what they consider to be the essential leadership traits of agility, discretion, and courage. In addition, Burns-Wallace reiterates the theme that runs throughout the text: work can never be the only thing that an individual focuses on. As she states, “Don’t let your work and your accomplishments become your identity. They are what you do, not who you are.”
MADE FOR THIS: Lessons in Leadership, Legacy, and Living Unapologetically is a well-written, engaging memoir of a successful career in leadership and diplomacy. While telling her own story in some detail, DeAngela Burns-Wallace reveals ideas and inspirations that can be adapted by anybody who is looking to carve a career in a similar field.
~ Kent Lane for IndieReader