I met Kris in April at the CTL Symposium. She was the first presenter on the opening day of the conference, and she was great! So, naturally, I found her table in the exhibition hall and bought her book that was just published in 2022.
The first thing I need to say is: I love her cover!! I checked out who created it on the ISBN page of the book: Megan Dillon. Megan, your cover design rocks!
The second thing I want to point out is that sometimes books are written as marketing materials for people who are self-employed, and that’s an acceptable thing to do. It’s no different than university professors who are encouraged to “publish or perish.” Eleven times throughout the book Kris includes a sentence that begins with “Visit therequisitecourage.com/bonusmaterials to download….” She also ends her book with a paragraph inviting the reader to take advantage of her services, and provides her telephone and email contact information.
Responding to change with a fear response is to obsess over what you cannot control. Reacting to change with a conquer response is to focus on what you can control.
So, I applaud Kris for her work in writing a book. It is evident that she has a message: she really wants to encourage the reader to be courageous—to take risks. Where her writing falls short for me is how she tries to make every single sentence a high-impact one. To me, writing is like living. Not every day can be a day at Disneyworld. Some days need to be spent doing laundry or cleaning the house. And having more of the day-to-day sentences makes the high-impact sentences stand out.
I do think Kris gets better the farther along she gets in the book. My favorite chapters were Chapters 13, 14, 15, 20 and 22. Topics covered in these chapters include: impostor syndrome, fears of inadequacy, problems with perfectionism, developing a positive mindset, training the brain, being courageous enough to speak up/take action, and handling setbacks without quitting. As a matter of fact, my favorite paragraph can be found in chapter 20:
... there is something to be said for making sure the world knows that you are ready. Demonstrate that you're willing to work for it. Volunteer for new assignments. Showcase your skills with a special project. Attend association meetings before joining the industry. The more you believe in your placement, the more it believes in you.
I like the way Kris sprinkles Client Spotlights throughout her book. People like stories and Kris’ client stories effectively explain the points she is making. Kris also provides exercises throughout the book. My favorite one is her goal setting exercise on p. 150. Everyone can benefit from breaking their goals down into doable chunks.