1st Edition
The Courage of Your Talent How to Build Your Self-Esteem, Trust Your Own Judgment, and Constantly Succeed in Business
Chapter 1: The origins of self-esteem
• How and why did we develop this way historically
• How does it evolve in the maturation process
• Why and how it effects all personal and business transactions
• Internal sources to nurture
• External influences to accept and reject
Chapter 2: Why is it important
• William James, “first” psychologist and pragmatism
• The psychology of esteem
• The dynamic that occurs in business relationships
• Ayn Rand: Objectivism and Atlas Shrugged
• How success is often undermined before one enters a room
Chapter 3: Esteem’s extended family
• Self-worth (Do I deserve their attention, support, or business?)
• Confidence (Can I deliver what they expect?)
• Efficacy (Do I have the proper skills to do the job?)
• Humility (Do I recognize the worth of the other person?)
• Resilience (Can I “bounce forward” after setbacks?)
Interlude: The courage of the precipice
• Looking up and not down
• The exhilaration of perceived danger
• Falling on the bunny slopes, mastering the moguls
• Why safety nets are not safe
Chapter 4: What is courage
• The Cowardly Lion—buyers aren’t shooting at you
• Rational and irrational fear—offices on the 47th floor
• The threat of the new—who thrives during times of disaster
• The six courage creators—for business and for life
Chapter 5: What is judgment
• They call them “courts of law” not “courts of justice”
• The taser gun of normative pressures with consumers
• Conclusions and not convolutions—keeping messaging clear
• Why Occam was wrong—easiest isn’t always best
Chapter 6: The “esteem machine”
• Leaping the six chasms of doubt
• “You’re not in the office now” has merit
• Engaging first gear and beyond
• The litmus test of esteem and business success
Chapter 7: The 21st Century calamity
• IET: intermittent explosive disorder
• Road rage, business rage, and life rage
• The declivity of powerlessness
• Seeking permission when none is needed
Chapter 8: Talking it up
• Positive psychology and self-talk
• Walk the talk, talk the walk as a leader
• Confidence, arrogance, smugness
• Blowing your own horn to get ahead
Chapter 9: Dealing with life
• Legitimate esteem challenges and how to cope
• Dealing with energy suckers and dysfunctional people
• Overcoming grief and trauma
• Legitimizing yourself, your career, and your “calling”
Interlude: Rate your ability to grow and improve
Chapter 10. What Is Your Life’s “Playlist”?
• The obvious approaching threats
• From job to career to calling and beyond
• How to advance in adversity
• The mantra and the journal
• Whom do you want to be?
Appendix
• Further readings on esteem
• Further readings on courage
• Self-test
Biography
Alan Weiss may be the foremost expert in the world on self-esteem. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science, a Master's degree in political science, and a PhD in psychology, his expertise stems not from controlled experiments and tests (though he was also the CEO of a behavioral assessment consulting firm).
Instead, his expertise stems from the empirical evidence and experiences of coaching and counseling thousands of entrepreneurs, business executives, politicians, athletes, nonprofit heads, media personalities, university presidents, who turn out to be all people like you.
He has guided strategy for the governor of a US state, advised on media performance of a presidential candidate, restored nearly bankrupt businesses to startling success, yet also counseled on suicide hotlines and served on the board of a shelter for domestic abuse, and helped police departments gain federal accreditation.
His experiences populate his 50+ books in 15 languages, global podcasts, daily videos, and global speaking appearances.
Common to all of this is his ability and determination to help people to help themselves to create and sustain high levels of self-esteem and worth daily, despite the obstacles, disruption, and inadvertent and advertent attempts to diminish it.
This is not a self-help book, asking you to “be like the author.” Herein are contained the skills, behaviors, and beliefs you already possess but which must be brought to the forefront of your thinking every day, a “conscious competency” of well-being that is totally dependent….on you.
