Kris Girrell is an author, speaker, executive coach and expert in both emotional intelligence and competency development. As a strategic consultant to a full cross-section of international business and industry, Kris has helped companies to redefine their direction, function better as leadership teams and gain efficiencies across all aspects of their operations. In addition to the Greater Boston area, Kris has worked with firms in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Kris is an avid speaker and writer with publications and scholarly articles in journals such as CLO Magazine (Chief Learning Officer), CIO Insight, Talent Management, Baseline, and the Boston Business Journal, as well as books on a wide range of topics such as career decision-making, marriage success, and personal and spiritual transformation. As a speaker Kris has been a featured speaker at TEDx, the keynote speaker at several international conferences.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
I am an avid reader and lifelong learner as well as the creator of many tools and innovations in my profession. At some point, one recognizes that it is time to give back and begin writing some of the lessons of experience. An example from writing my latest book, Typhoon Honey, the only way out is through, might best demonstrate this. When a new transformation education – the Boston Breakthrough Academy – was being created I was asked if I wanted to participate, I said yes on one condition, that I will be able to create the materials and training that supported the volunteers who often staffed the training as small group leaders. Most centers just invite the graduates of a previous class to staff the next one but never provide the essential resources to help them do the job. As a result, turnover, and burnout is high.
When I had written several modules and had conducted one or two of the associated training sessions, the founder of the center suggested that the topics would make a great book. I agreed and asked her to join me as co-author to add some color and stories to what otherwise might be pretty heady topics. The combination was magical and resulted in the book out on shelves now.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
- Most people feel that their options are limited or dictated by circumstances – the inertia and force of movement in a certain direction (which we call the “Drift”). The first take-away is that they always have choice irrespective of the current flow of things. It does not take courage – it takes active choice and you always have choice.
- Secondly, emotions are not spontaneously occurring things but rather are the result of your preceding thoughts and beliefs. Change your thoughts and you change your emotional reactions. Knowing the sequence of events (thoughts->emotions->actions->results) you can produce an entirely different set of results simply by changing your thought patterns.
- Thirdly, most people think that if they had sufficient (name it – money, time, resources, etc.) they could do what they really wanted to do and as a result be happy or satisfied, etc. In other words they think from a Have-Do-Be perspective. But we know that it is just the opposite: when your way of being changes, you do things differently and have the desired results you want, or BE-DO-HAVE. Living life from a chosen set of ways of being changes everything.
What were the top three mistakes you made while publishing your book what did you learn from them?
- Mistake #1 is that we tried to do all of the publicity and pre-release on our own which might work for some. But because we both had very busy careers and then encountered some major life obstacles, we never got the time to do what was necessary. Lesson learned: Hire a publicist or buy those services from your publisher.
- Mistake #2. Our proofreading editor read sections and chapters one at a time and the result was that she was not cognizant of a few repeated examples from one section to the next. Lesson learned: Make certain that the editor and proofreaders read the entire work before starting the editing process.
- Mistake #3. Seasonal timing is very important. Wanting to get the book out sooner than later, we went with a December release date which is definitely not the prime time. Lesson learned: Listen to the editor/publisher and follow her suggestions for the optimal release date.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?
“The ugly truth about the transformational journey is that most of us would like the new world of breakthrough without the pain and suffering of breakdown. Pain and suffering demand that we do the difficult inner work. Sitting on the couch or taking the easy way demands nothing of us. But pain and suffering demand that we develop and grow.” (p. 97)
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
What is interesting is how different people reacted to the pandemic time. While some felt trapped or even isolated, we took the opposite approach. To be certain I lost a ton of business – literally a filled pipeline for the three quarters after the lockdown just vaporized. But my partner and I saw huge opportunities in the shift to a virtual world. I increased my networking, wrote and published a book, built a series of virtual programs that were quite successful, and found new and creative work-arounds to what we were doing before. Evolution always happens when the species is threatened not when all is running smoothly!
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
As an aging athlete, most of my biggest challenges were around old injuries catching up with me and limiting my physical abilities. But the biggest challenge has been dealing with a very aggressive form of cancer. I became an overnight expert on my form of cancer and all of the relevant research studies on techniques and treatments (much to the amazement of my oncology team). I doubled up the allopathic treatments with naturopathic procedures and nutritional changes – ranging from total elimination of all flour and sugar (cancer’s favorite food), the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatments and massive doses of vitamin C among others. At this point I am cancer-free and expecting to stay that way for good.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
I wish I knew how important the pre-release activities and marketing were, and had listened to our publisher who encouraged us to purchase that service instead of doing it alone. Just as we were running up to the release date, both my co-author and I had huge personal crises which we had to handle and which moved marketing into second seat – which ultimately did not get done.
Can you share some of the marketing techniques that have worked for you when promoting your book?
- First of all apply for reviews as soon as possible (when you have the advanced release copy of your book). As soon as you receive a review hit hard with a media blast – we would follow each of the first three reviews with a PR blast to over 500 media outlets globally copying a paragraph or key line of the review.
- Secondly, and this cannot be emphasized enough, use your personal social media outlets (FB, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, whatever) as a way to post teasers – little snippets of the book – that build awareness and a desire to buy the book. Because of COVID, we were not able to book signing or readings at cooperating bookstores (which was part of our plan) so we had to rely on social media.
- Give ARC copies of the book to influencers you know who will not only write a review for your Amazon or B&N pages but will post that to their followers. Along the same line, make sure that all of your friends write something on Amazon so you have multiple reviews listed there.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Writing is a discipline and you must build the habit of getting up and “going to work” – i.e., sitting down at the computer and writing every day, even if it is crap and you don’t like it.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to finish writing your book?
I live by my commitments and consider them to be unalterable. It’s somewhat like when Muhammed Ali would brag or boast, what he was actually doing was painting himself into a corner so he had to produce the result or look like a buffoon. I make a commitment and tell everyone what I committed to doing, and it forces my hand. Additionally, though I am fully retired, I have an accountability buddy with whom I have a call twice each week (Mondays to set our goals, and Thursday to check in on what is still in the gap to be completed).
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs and authors?
Read Stephen Pressfield’s book The War of Art and follow his rules for being a professional writer. it is an easy read with a nugget on every page.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I am learning about the changes in AI/AR and digitization. The emerging metaverse is rife with new opportunities and I feel it is imperative to stay abreast of the cutting edge of technology irrespective of your field.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new authors?
Don’t wait – if you have an idea or a dream, follow through on it. There will always be nay-sayers but surround yourself with people who will encourage you to go for it.
What is your favorite quote?
This comes from George Bernard Shaw and is called The Splendid Torch:
“This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
I try to live each day from that perspective, and despite my age (now 73), people are still commenting on what I am able to accomplish in a day. I am committed to living life fully and to not wasting time (like on TV) or energy (like on complaining). For me it is the only way to live.
