During a conversation with an executive from a large company, the topic of the importance of courage came up.

He described a situation where many corporate decisions have to be made amidst uncertainty. Executives therefore need courage, as the company’s continued existence may depend on their decisions.

He was astonished when I replied that dealing with uncertainty is part of a concert pianist’s daily routine and that success is impossible without courage—that “all right, then I’ll go to hell” moment. I briefly described the situation to him: as a concert pianist, I am essentially a self-employed entrepreneur. I take on a wide variety of engagements and select a specific concert program for each, hoping the audience will enjoy it. I want the experience to be special, which requires the courage to choose works that fall outside the standard repertoire. Then comes the performance: stepping onto the stage with hundreds of eyes upon you and delivering a peak performance—it naturally brings up fears of failure. You can’t do it without courage. Even with standard works, I don’t want to simply play through the notes; I want to offer my own interpretation. That takes courage, too, because anyone familiar with the pieces will immediately notice—and critically comment on—any deviations from the norm. If the concert is well-received, that’s wonderful, and it likely leads to further engagements. If it isn’t well-received, I run the risk of no longer being booked by organizers or seeing audiences stay away. My career as a concert pianist would then be over.

This perspective was new to the executive. As our fascinating conversation continued, we discussed the prerequisites for making courageous decisions.

I shared my perspective with him:

1. First and foremost, it is important for me to have a clear idea of ​​what I want to achieve with my piano playing. Simply playing for the sake of it, without a grand vision, wouldn’t mean much to me. For me, music is “larger than life.” I want my playing to make an impact and to touch and inspire people. 2. I love performing concerts and constantly trying out new things. It is a passion I conscientiously nurture and cultivate. I know how to keep my enthusiasm alive and maintain my inner balance—for instance, by repeatedly reconnecting with the roots of my passion. 3. Of course, there are always difficult moments and low points that demand extraordinary resilience. I have the experience, routines, and inner stability to handle these situations and gradually work my way back up.

Vision, passion, and resilience—the executive noted that these are prerequisites for bold decisions and play a major role in the corporate world as well. Yet, when articulated by an artist, these concepts took on a vivid, emotional dimension. We agreed that everyone has the ability to positively influence their own capacity for courage.