Growth requires some degree of risk tolerance. The more self-confident, and the higher our self-esteem, the more calculated and informed risks we’re willing to take. To build self-confidence and self-esteem, we must take risks and be willing to learn from failures and missteps. This virtuous cycle works best when we surround ourselves with positive challengers—people who will simultaneously support and challenge you in an environment of psychological safety.

This morning, I’m going to read an excerpt from my first book, Balancing Act: Teach, Coach, Mentor, Inspire. The point of today’s Muse is to shine a bright light on our responsibility as leaders to hone the skills of self-awareness and engaging in challenging conversations.

This episode tells the story of 10-year-old Andy as a member of the La Crosse Boychoir, my mentor, Dan Johnson-Wilmot, and outlines three benefits of focusing on good posture for your personal and professional journey of continuous improvement.

"Nothing says “you’ve got this,” more than good posture. Many people will tell you that “clothes make the person,” but those clothes have to fit onto a frame—your frame. So before you go out and spend big money on a new wardrobe to boost self confidence, make the time to invest in posture by strengthening both mind and body."

If I’m living my personal purpose in both life and work and striving toward my long-term personal vision, then the likelihood that I feel unworthy of my successes is reduced because my success is more genuine to me and, no pun intended, purposeful. So if natural feelings of unworthiness and self-doubt creep in, I can remind myself that my success didn’t come out of nowhere, but was instead the result of planning, skill, and hard work.

In my opinion, the minimum acceptable height of “the bar” is to be a decent human. You see, it’s in times of great stress and conflict that the words I live by come into play the most. When the going gets tough, sometimes everything boils down to a fairly basic choice—to be a decent human being, or allow base instinct and ego to take over and say/do things that I’ll regret later. “Andy, just be a decent human being right here, right now.” But what does decency mean? Let’s explore.

The process of getting to know yourself is difficult, but deeply satisfying. Self-reflection and personal planning exercises are two important tools to understand and employ on the journey toward greater self-awareness and enlightenment. In this muse, we’re going to take the promised deep dive into the concept of the personal A3.